NBA free agency: Kevin Durant reportedly tells Clippers he’s not signing with them
By Nick Tylwalk
Not that many people really expected it, but the Los Angeles Clippers won’t be the winners of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.
Did the Los Angeles Clippers really have a shot at signing Kevin Durant? It didn’t seem like that before the 2016 NBA free agency period began, but then came reports that the league’s biggest unattached superstar was impressed with the team’s pitch, making the Clips suddenly seem like players.
Alas, it’s not to be. While Durant still has NBA teams and fans alike on pins and needles this holiday weekend since he’s expected to announce his decision soon, he’s reportedly told the Clippers thanks but no thanks.
Here’s the scoop from Ben Bolch, Clippers beat writer for the L.A. Times:
Seems obvious by now but Clippers have been told that Kevin Durant will not be joining them.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) July 3, 2016
Again, it’s important to remember that the Clippers were long shots to land Durant in the first place. Already home to all-NBA (and thus expensive) talents like Chris Paul and Blake Griffin,L.A. would have had to do more financial gymnastics to add KD, with some reports stating that he’d actually have to take a pay cut to hop aboard — not usually what stars are looking to do when they hit free agency.
With Kevin Durant off to a different destination or simply staying put in Oklahoma City, the Clippers turned to re-signing their own free agents like Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson . Certainly not as sexy nor as likely to propel the Clips toward the top of the NBA’s Western Conference, but it’s better than nothing with KD out of reach.
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