Fansided

NBA Free Agency 2019: 5 potential destinations for Kevin Durant

By Bryan Toporek

Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images
Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 04: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors during a timeout in the first half at Staples Center on April 04, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 04: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors during a timeout in the first half at Staples Center on April 04, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

5. Los Angeles Lakers

If the 2018-19 season proved anything, it’s that LeBron James needs help.

The Los Angeles Lakers had the fourth-best record in the West after beating Durant’s Warriors on Christmas Day, but James suffered a groin injury that sent their season spiraling. Rampant trade speculation surrounding Anthony Davis caused the locker room to combust, and Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram eventually joined James on the sidelines with their own respective season-ending injuries.

Things have somehow gotten even worse for the Lakers this offseason. Team president Magic Johnson unexpectedly resigned in April, they struck out on their top choices to replace head coach Luke Walton, and Johnson put the organizational dysfunction on full display during a recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take.

None of that makes for a particularly appealing free-agent pitch, so the Lakers may struggle to attract legitimate consideration from Durant. As James proved last summer, though, top-tier free agents don’t always prioritize on-court factors when choosing their next team.

Much like James, Durant has a budding entertainment company, Thirty Five Media. He’s setting himself up for a lucrative post-NBA future, and teaming with James to restore the Lakers to their previous heights could further boost his global brand.

Would blogboys accuse Durant of taking the easy way out again if he joined James and the Lakers? Unquestionably! But there’s a huge difference between joining a 73-win Warriors team and a Lakers squad featuring James and a bunch of young players who they attempted to ship out for Davis at the trade deadline.

The Lakers have $65.8 million in salary committed to seven players (along with $5 million for Luol Deng’s stretched salary), and their No. 4 overall pick comes with a cap hit of roughly $7.05 million. As a result, they wouldn’t be able to offer Durant a full max contract without salary-dumping one of Ingram, Ball or their first-round pick. But if that’s the cost of adding Durant, the Lakers likely wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

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