It sounds like we're down to two: the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors. Those are the two teams that Kevin Durant will likely choose between when making his free-agent decision, according to ESPN's Royce Young. Durant will announce his decision on Monday, according to USA Today's Sam Amick.
NBA free agent rumors 2016: For Kevin Durant, it looks like it’s the Thunder or the Warriors
Everything points to Durant choosing between his incumbent team or leaving to join Golden State, fresh off an NBA-record 73 wins.
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Durant's last meeting came Sunday afternoon in New York with the Thunder, ending a four-day process of teams pitching Durant to join them. Oklahoma City started the stretch, talking to their star of nine years on June 30 before closing out the discussions. But after meeting with the Spurs, Heat, Celtics and Clippers, Durant seems to have ruled them all out. It appears he'll either stay home in Oklahoma City or join the greatest regular-season team of all time in the Bay Area. (One report from CSN New England suggests the Celtics are still in the mix, but that contradicts other reporting).
The Warriors' actual meeting with Durant came on July 1, but they got additional help from Warriors executive board member and NBA legend Jerry West on Sunday. West talked with Durant over the phone, speaking from his experience as a player who went to nine NBA finals, winning only one of them.
Those losses still “eat at” the 78-year-old West, he said to Durant, as reported by ESPN’s Chris Broussard. West told the 2014 MVP that the difficult shots he takes in Oklahoma City will be easier with the Warriors. He also told Durant that joining Golden State would help him be recognized as more than just a scorer, but as a rebounder, passer and defender.
West is right and the Warriors would be the favorites to win not just next year's title, but perhaps the next five if he joins them. But Durant's decision to join Golden State would force him to leave Oklahoma City, a place that has grown up with him through his nine years in the city and a place to which he has been extremely loyal. That's not an easy choice for Durant, especially since the Thunder are still clearly title contenders. They were six minutes away from advancing to the 2016 NBA Finals in Game 6, and it's possible Oklahoma City has improved even more after a draft-day deal that swapped Serge Ibaka for Victor Oladipo and Ersan Ilyasova.
It’s not an easy decision. It’d be hard to imagine Durant not winning at least one title if he joins Golden State, something that could easily happen if he stays in Oklahoma City. In the end, the easiest path might come through a one-year contract that allows Durant an opportunity to repeat this decision next offseason, too. That lines him up with Russell Westbrook’s free agency and gives him a year to think about the five free agency pitches given to him by the teams outside of Oklahoma City before making a final decision. After all, there’s no returning to the Thunder if Durant chooses to leave, whereas coming back for one final year wouldn’t make Oklahoma City any sure that he’ll stay next offseason.
Either way, it sounds like we’ll know tomorrow. The summer of Durant will finally be realized.
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