Kevin Durant will join the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019, a league source tells me.
Durant, a two-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, is highly considering joining the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2019, I was told in September.
Spoke to a source today who confirmed Kevin Durant will be a LA Laker next year.
“Just like LeBron planned his move LA a year or more earlier, #KD is doing the same right now. They want to form the best duo in the NBA and set up KD to be the face of the Lakers post-#LeBron.” pic.twitter.com/BWR9TOWPMZ
— Brandon Robinson (@ScoopB) September 17, 2018
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“Just like LeBron planned his move to LA a year or more earlier, KD is doing the same right now,” a league source told me in September.
“They want to form the best duo in the NBA and set up KD to be the face of the Lakers post-LeBron.”
Durant signed a two-year, $61.5 million contract with the Warriors and has the option to opt out ahead of the 2019-20 season, per Spotrac.
The Lakers will enter the 2019 free agency period with a ton of roster spots to fill.
If a move to get Anthony Davis via a trade doesn’t come to fruition this season, as I reported early Saturday, the team would still have Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart from their current core, along with LeBron James.
On the Anthony Davis front, however, my source is emphatic that the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in a potential Laker team with LeBron, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis next year.
“The Lakers are gunning for the biggest names,” said a source familiar with the Los Angeles Lakers’ thinking.
“LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis in LA. It’s all part of the plan.”
In order for the Lakers to make such a move, a trade package would need to look like this:
Lakers, Anthony Davis trade with New Orleans Pelicans would make sense if constructed like this:
Package 1: Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, 1st round pick
Package 2: Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, 1st round pick#Lakerspic.twitter.com/90iJHKcx9F
— Brandon Robinson (@ScoopB) November 4, 2018
James’ decision to join the Lakers this offseason wasn’t a surprise and it is expected that the Lakers will try to add another superstar to play alongside him. James signed a four-year, $154-plus million deal with the Lakers, via Spotrac, which features a player option for the 2021-22 season.
If Durant were to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers next offseason, it would leave them a minimum of two years to play together.
