Would he dare consider the max from the Thunder with his recent foot problems? Does he go home to DC? He is real tight with Harden, does he come to the Powerhouse Rockets? Spurs, they will have cap space for him next year? What about some dark horse teams like the Heat, Pelicans, Bucks, Kings??? Young talented teams. Next Summer the cap is estimated to be so high that every team will have a chance to sign a max player. I can't see him wasting time trying to rebuild in LA, NY, Chicago or NJ. Forget about the lottery teams like Philly, Orlando and Charlotte. Utah and Toronto are out based on location. What about the Blazers or the Nuggets? The Hawks are probably one star away. Nobody will ever purposely move to Detroit. The Mavs can't close free agents. Plus when your best players are Parsons and Matthews, then you got problems. Warriors, Clips and Cavs will be capped out most likely. Suns are always an attractive spot. Is Indiana a big enough market for him. Plus George must be back. Bulls are a depressing team. Memphis is like the Hawks, one star away. Who did I miss?
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Cavs trade Love for him at the trade deadlineComment -
Thunder are all-in and entering their luxury tax years, as indicated by their willingness to match for Kanter. they are banking on the plan that they'll bounce back and at least make the WC Finals this season. by doing so and showing Durant they're willing to pay the tax, it could convince Durant to stay.
if the Thunder have any suspicion he wants out though, their GM won't hesitate to trade him. however, that would be a bad spot for the Thunder because not only is Durant's deal expiring, but he's coming off his 3rd surgery including a bone graft. eventhough his injury is "only" of the Jones Fracture variety, it's still a precarious situation since there's no other treatment possible from here. it could potentially limit Durant's trade value, especially if it's evident it'll just be a short-term rental at the deadline.
- Spurs are not an option, they're locked in at the forward positions with Kawhi and Aldridge.
- Warriors apparently want to make a huge push and would offer Thompson and a 1st rounder (or Thompson and Barnes). this would only happen via S&T though should he decide to leave OKC as an UFA. Warriors would need to clear Thompson out in this case because Curry will make $30M/yr on his next deal in 2 years.
- Rockets would be a nice fit on paper and could offer Ariza (or Dekker) and perhaps multiple 1st rounders in a S&T. while Durant is tight with Harden, i wonder if he'd be worried about getting enough touches there. Rockets just drafted Dekker at SF behind Ariza, so SF is not their first concern. what they desperately need is a legit PF and Durant can't guard the 4.
- Wiz have hometown advantage and they're in the East of course, but those are hard intangibles to track. Wall, Beal, and Durant would be an interesting trio, but the Wiz would still have issues at PF and C. though if Durant signed with the Wiz, they should be able to attract another top guy at one of those needs.
- Heat could be the most interesting dark horse if this truly is Wade's last year. They could then slide Winslow to SG so Durant could step in at SF.. Dragic, Winslow, Durant, Bosh, Whiteside.. hmmm.
- Knicks are out because Melo plays the same position and the Thunder would never take back his contract unless the Knicks included 3 unprotected first rounders along with it, hah.
- Lakers and Mavs will both desperately need a star, but debating that either team could have a realistic chance to land him would be wasting time at this point.Comment -
He is coming home to DC to join Wall and Beal!Comment -
Let's not forget the most important fact. Durant has already played his best game.Comment -
H-town.Comment -
Houston no powerhouse
We have to see if surant is healed
Nobody will want him if he gets hurt againComment -
Toronto.
100%Comment -
Pelicans.Comment -
We do not know if he is still explosive
Hold off menComment -
Stays here.. At least for the entire season...Depends on how him and Westbrook get along after Westbrook's banner year.. Young guys underneath played great last year.. All the pieces in place to win a championship this year especially if Serge is in the lineup..
Just my 2 cents..
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OKC. Why do u think MOST of nba guys not trying to run to NY? Many of them are not smart enuff to understand (but their agents are) that what u lose in salary from taxes there can not be made up. Its a huge difference in take home pay between there and say Texas or Florida. I guess some athletes (Griffin, Paul) could make it back from endorsements in the high tax markets (LA/NY), but I don't see Carmelo selling cheeseburgers?Comment -
I think he stays in OKC or goes to WAS. If winning is his #1 priority the new CBA is a really awesome spot for a couple of fringe teams to offer a (nother) max to get over the top.
His foot injuries might slow up some teams with out needs but any team with space that he walks into their office and says sign me and they are offering the max right there.
and he seems to prefer playing with a chucker to help his own efficiency so there is that.Comment -
agreed that it wouldn't make any sense for the Thunder to trade him at the deadline. they're all-in this year (and beyond), which should theoretically work to OKC's advantage in convincing him to stay.Stays here.. At least for the entire season...Depends on how him and Westbrook get along after Westbrook's banner year.. Young guys underneath played great last year.. All the pieces in place to win a championship this year especially if Serge is in the lineup..
Just my 2 cents..
his relationship with Westbrook is certainly a factor and i'll believe it when i see it if OKC is able to retain them both.
at this point, OKC would be able to secure better assets via S&T in the offseason if Durant wanted to leave. no one will give-up major pieces at the deadline without a guarantee that Durant would re-sign (not a promise that can be made). that said, OKC would have to find the right S&T partner who'd be willing to help them and that's always tricky. right now, it appears the Warriors could be the best partner in that regard since OKC could certainly use a top SG like Thompson and maybe Barnes at SF to replace Durant. those two pieces would keep OKC on the championship path and would also help the Warriors' need in shedding payroll to re-sign Curry for a super-max deal.
according to Rotoworld, frequent x-rays indicate Durant's foot is healing on schedule after the bone graft, so that's encouraging on the surface. i'm sure teams will ideally want to sign him to a 3 year deal with a 4th year player option, but that could change depending on how he looks next season.Comment -
where are you reading that the Warriors would offer Thompson and Barnes. I find this far fetched to say the least.Comment -
LA will bend over backwards to get himComment -
new yorkComment -
speculation would be Thompson plus either a 1st or someone like Barnes (but not necessarily Barnes). Barnes has been suggested as the other part because Durant plays the same position and OKC might find him suitable as a replacement since Thompson would be alongside to pick-up the scoring slack. plus, the Warriors drafted Looney, who could potentially serve as Durant's backup since they'd be losing Barnes. again, just speculation if it comes down to a S&T scenario, but the Warriors will definitely try something and Durant apparently has them on his shortlist anyway. thing is, Warriors couldn't afford him without a S&T so it'd benefit both sides.
Warriors would have two super-max guys in Curry and Durant, plus a mini-max in Green.. all while still holding onto Iggy, Livingston, Ezeli, Speights, etc. quick blurb..
The Warriors are also considering dipping a toe or two in the Durant pool next offseason. Accordimg to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, the Warriors could be eyeing Durant in a sign-and-trade next offseason. Any deal for Durant would have to involve Klay Thompson plus an additional piece, splitting up the Splash Brothers. Is Durant an upgrade over Thompson for Stephen Curry? Two NBA MVPs on one team certainly seems unfair, but the trade would make sense considering the Thunder would getting great talent in return.Comment -
The Warriors would be crazy not to do that deal. Thunder wont trade him though, and he wont leave. They've been good to him. Plus he likes the home crowd (best in the league), and Ibaka/ Westbrook.Comment -
champs with a sizable asterisk, as every team they faced in the playoffs had major injuries. Cavs would've won comfortably with Irving and Love. i'm certainly not a Cavs fan, but let's not kid ourselves.
Warriors FO is very sharp and understand they need to stay ahead of the curve if they're going to win another title with this group. especially with the Spurs reloading, OKC roaring back if healthy, Clippers back, and Rockets staying the course with PG back. all the while, the stacked Cavs will have a cakewalk to the Finals for the foreseeable future.
again, Curry will be getting a $20M+/yr raise in 2 years, so other things will need to happen to fit everything in for the Warriors. should Durant decide he wants out of OKC to specifically play for the Warriors, then the Warriors and OKC would need each other to make it happen given those unique conditions. that's the only point here.
personally, i hope he stays in OKC or goes to the East (Wiz or Heat). a move from OKC to a different West team would be hard to justify because OKC has proven they'll pay the tax and should be an annual top 3/4 contender if healthy.Comment -
Ramona Shelbourne just reported that the Lakers will sign both Durant and Westbrooke.Comment -
Hornets?Comment -
Dude is retiring.Comment -
who cares!! he sucks. he is not a Tim Duncan!Comment -
The Miami Heat could have an outside chance, although I'm not sure Durant would be into the South Beach nightlife.
It's all a moot point right now. The guy could be a gimp.Comment -
If OKC can only keep one player, I hope they keep Westbrook.
I mean, I hope they keep them both obviously but it's going to be difficult.Comment -
think the only team not mentioned was minnesota....poorly done op...Comment -
Who the fukk cares. He's an over rated player who gets hurt an da loser.
I agree with the above poster. He needs to start selling something to make money.Comment -
Either OKC or Houston. With Lawson giving Houston a team option on his last year the Rockets could now waive him, sign Durant and then resign Lawson under Bird rule. I'm not a cap or trade expert so I could be wrong. Lawson is one of KD's best friends as is Harden.Comment
