The impending free agency of Kevin Durant is one of the biggest stories of this offseason in the NBA. One of the elite athletes in the world could be on the move, and a litany of teams are lining up to try and sway Durant to leave Oklahoma City, the only franchise he has ever known. However, while there will be plenty of teams pitching Durant on signing with them, according to reports, they may really just be hoping to entice to sign next summer.
Adrian Wojnarowski was on CBS Radio on Monday, and says that all the teams that will be meeting Durant this summer are just “laying the groundwork” for the summer of 2017. Evidently, the general consensus is that Durant will re-sign with the Thunder, at least for another year. The idea is that he will sign a two-year deal, with a player option for that second year, and then he will reassess next summer, when Russell Westbrook is also a free agent and he stands to make substantially more after completing his 10th season and the new TV-rights money spiking the salary cap.
.@WojVerticalNBA says teams meeting with Kevin Durant feel they're laying groundwork for '17 FA since they all anticipate his return to OKC.
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) June 27, 2016
.@WojVerticalNBA envisions Kevin Durant returning to #Thunder for 1+1 deal, then taking longer view of future when up with Westbrook in '17
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) June 27, 2016
This is not all that surprising. Durant and the Thunder had a great season, almost besting the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. It makes sense to give the team, which also retooled itself this summer by trading Serge Ibaka, at least one more year.
So, as of right now, don’t expect Durant anywhere but Oklahoma City next season. However, if you are a fan of the Warriors, the Knicks or another team hoping to court Durant, you can still hope they make a good impression on him this summer. It could help make the difference a year from now.
(Via CBS Sports Radio)
