Kevin Durant loves playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and with his fiery, unbelievably athletic running mate Russell Westbrook. That much is apparent. However–especially since the new year began–rumors of him potentially leaving to pursue a max deal and a championship in his hometown of Washington D.C., or in Los Angeles, where the Lakers will be looking for a new franchise player in lieu of Kobe Bryant‘s departure–have caught traction. There are some, like ESPN‘s Stephen A. Smith–who has an interesting relationship with Durant–who believe that KD is Lakers bound should he bolt, and that he and Westbrook will find a way to unite in Los Angeles and live the American sports dream: be a championship contending team in a big ginormous market with a pre-existing championship legacy.
However, according to Yahoo! Sports‘ Adrian Wojnarowski, Durant’s primary option, should he decide not to return to Oklahoma City, his home of the last nine seasons, isn’t Los Angeles, New York, or his hometown of Washington D.C. It’s the reigning NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. Yes, Woj–as he’s fondly referred to on social media–insinuates in a new report that the Warriors are “significant front-runners” to pry Durant away from OKC’s grasp.
You might want to sit down for this. The following, taken from Woj’s report, could be proof that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant could be in the same starting 5 in the 2016-2017 season.
Yes, Golden State has everything, including the ability to create the salary-cap space and a belief that Durant’s persona could fit seamlessly—even onto a potential two-time defending champion.
And…
Durant is determined to win – to be an immediate championship contender at 27 years old – and that keeps bringing him back to the Warriors should he make the decision to leave Oklahoma City. Outside of a Thunder championship closing down the process before July 1, there’s a strong expectation that Durant will hit the road, tour campuses and become a recruit again.
Durant is expected to be the most coveted free agent since LeBron James in the 2010 off-season, and with 6 months left to go until free agency, it’s anyone guess what happens.
