With most of the big-name players already off the market, the 2015 free agency period is winding down. So naturally, it’s time to start looking ahead to next summer, when the Kevin Durant sweepstakes will be in full effect. But prospective suitors shouldn’t get their hopes up just yet. According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, front office folks around the league don’t believe Durant is going anywhere. Here’s more from Berger:
“Most league execs informally polled here at Summer League expect Durant to stay in Oklahoma City when he hits the market next summer. There are only a handful of teams that can legitimately think they’re an option. The Lakers, the Mavs and the Wizards (in Durant’s hometown) are in the mix, for starters. The Knicks? I mean, I guess, in theory.”
Of course, a lot of this will depend on what happens next season, and obviously, a lot could happen. After being sidelined for a large chunk of this past season and missing the playoffs, Durant can’t afford yet another lost year in the middle of his prime. However, if healthy, the Thunder are perfectly equipped to contend for prime playoff positioning and possibly even make a run at the Western Conference crown. But they’ll need a bit of good luck after several seasons in a row of precisely the opposite fortune.
If things do go south, Durant will face a great deal of temptation to take his talents elsewhere. It’s been widely speculated that the most likely scenario would have him signing with his hometown team, the Washington Wizards. And why not? It’s an enticing idea. He’d be playing alongside another hyper-athletic point guard, John Wall, who is also a great distributor, but he’d also have both a two guard in Bradley Beal and a center in Marcin Gortat who can help alleviate some of the offensive load.
But the Thunder still have a lot of selling points as well. First, they can offer him the most money, not to mention an extra year on his next contract. And, despite matching Enes Kanter’s max contract offer from the Blazers and pushing themselves beyond the salary cap threshold for next season, will have plenty of cap space next summer after the TV money kicks in and the cap spikes near the $90 million mark. That means they’ll still have the flexibility to fill out their roster with additional talent.
Depending on how things pan out this season, Durant will have a lot to mull over when he hits the market next summer.
(via CBSSports)
