Kevin Durant is the top free agent this coming summer. Throughout the season, we’ve heard talks of him joining the Warriors, Knicks, his hometown Wizards or staying put in Oklahoma City. Now we can add two more potential teams in the mix for the superstar.
Last night when the Thunder were playing the Boston Celtics, you can hear fans chanting “Come to Boston.” Danny Ainge, the Celtics president of basketball operations, stated that he would have taken Durant if they had the #1 overall pick back in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Boston has an interesting roster. They play in the East so it may be easier for a guy like Durant to make a deep playoff run. They have no true superstar (unless you are counting Isaiah Thomas), but they have a lot of young talent and draft picks. Not to mention that they have the money to work with.
The San Antonio Spurs are also looking at Kevin Durant, according to Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports.
“San Antonio has rebuilt its dynasty, but rival executives believe the Spurs will explore ways of adding Durant to the mix, and the franchise’s culture makes it intriguing”
San Antonio is a very interesting choice here. Durant played college ball at Texas and San Antionio has been the top organization in the NBA for two decades now.
The salary cap comes into question here. Next season’s cap is projected to hit $90 million. LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker count for around $53 million. Those guys are not going anywhere. Guys like Danny Green ($10 million), Boris Diaw ($7 million) and Patty Mills ($3.5 million) could perhaps be moved. You also have to factor in the futures of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, who both have player options after this season and might be looking to either retire or take pay cuts.
A superstar like Durant will want a max deal, which is at least $25 million. The Spurs already have the small forward in Kawhi Leonard, but with the transition of the league going small ball, Durant can slide to the four and Aldridge goes to the five, assuming Duncan walks away.
This may seem like an unlikely situation but you never know. We saw the same situation with LaMarcus Aldridge last year.
Let the Kevin Durant sweepstakes begin.
