Kevin Durant Will Meet with 5 Teams, But Only the Warriors and Thunder Matter
By Jason McIntyre
Kevin Durant will reportedly meet with five teams when free agency begins, and those teams are the San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, LA Clippers, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors.
This is a nice gesture by Durant, but in reality, only one of those teams could legitimately sway him to leave the Thunder: The Warriors.
Winning a championship is central to Durant’s decision, something we’ve heard for months now. Do the Celtics – who have yet to win a playoff series under Brad Stevens, pose a serious threat? Nope.
Would Durant really go to the Spurs, a team the Thunder just beat? A team that’s going to lose Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to retirement? Nope.
Durant-to-the-Heat sounds interesting, but can Miami keep Hassan Whiteside? Does Miami know what the future holds for blood clot-ridden Chris Bosh? Too many unknowables.
The Clippers meeting feels like a move out of respect to Doc Rivers and Chris Paul, while also taking a subtle dig at the Lakers.
Which leaves the Warriors as the only contender to the Thunder for Durant’s services. I’ve put my cards on the table – I hope Durant goes to the Warriors. Durant and Curry vs Lebron and Kyrie? How much fun would that be?
I know Durant can sign a short deal and then if Russell Westbrook bails next year for LA or New York, Durant can just go somewhere else. But if Chris Broussard is right and Durant doesn’t want to go through this again, maybe he picks the Warriors next week?