Woj Sources: Warriors serious threat to sign Kevin Durant

what · Feb 3, 2016

I don't think Kevin Durant is going to leave OKC. He knows that he can win a championship in OKC, and he also isn't the kind of guy that is going to just create a super team and make it easy for him. I believe that he has an old school mentality.

Yall need to get off of suicide alert.

"Snosrap · Feb 3, 2016

may lord have mercy on the rest if KD do join them...

BackdoorHarden · Feb 3, 2016

JoeBarelyCares said: ↑

I didn't write the article but would love to hear your math.
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Look at their roster for 2016. Only have 6 guys with guarantee contract.
And none of the 6 guys are going to make crazy money.

Livingston and JThompson have non-guarantee contract.

They can trade either Bogut or Iggy to clear space, then after they sign Durant, go over the salary cap to sign Barnes and Festus, but they probably won't do that because Barnes isn't worth the money he's going to get and Festus is hurt again.

theoldblood · Feb 3, 2016

I do agree with some that Durant joining GSW could possibly ruin the chemistry.

mvpcrossxover · Feb 4, 2016

KD will sign one year to become a mole.

peleincubus · Feb 4, 2016

KePoW said: ↑

They would not keep Barnes if they sign KD. Play the same position so Barnes is unnecessary.

They only need to keep Curry at the 1, Klay at the 2, KD at the 3, Draymond at the 4.

Everyone else is expendable.
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pretty much. and i can't even imagine.

take those 4 and if they somehow were to luck into a center like miami did last season that is a D monster. they perhaps go undefeated for the whole year haha.

KePoW · Feb 4, 2016

peleincubus said: ↑

pretty much. and i can't even imagine.

take those 4 and if they somehow were to luck into a center like miami did last season that is a D monster. they perhaps go undefeated for the whole year haha.
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lol yea

In fact that lineup of 4 would be so hilarious, I actually want it to happen. Just to see how crazy it would be.

roslolian · Feb 5, 2016

KePoW said: ↑

lol yea

In fact that lineup of 4 would be so hilarious, I actually want it to happen. Just to see how crazy it would be.
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This. If we don't get KD I hope GSW gets KD. I know everybody thinks it will make GSW even more unstoppable and maybe it does, but honestly the way everybody in GSW is playing right now any change will be good. I mean look at them, they're a good threat to break the wins record! The way they are now they are a lock for dynasty anyway and with the cap increase they can keep everyone important. So what is there to lose? Put an unknown factor like KD and maybe it makes them less vulnerable. If it makes them even better then nothing really changed.

t_mac1 · Feb 5, 2016

WB and Durant have found a way to play together. IF Curry didn't have this historic shooting season, WB would be by far and away the player we all talk about.

Jontro · Feb 5, 2016

onreego said: ↑

What is he if he comes here...?
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Lin's replacement as our savior.

J.R. · Feb 6, 2016

Kevin Durant-Blake Griffin deal needs perfect storm, and it could be brewing

The Lakers, Knicks and Wizards (Durant's hometown team) have been regarded in league circles for months as legitimate threats to entice Durant if, in fact, he decides to change teams. That, of course, remains the biggest of ifs, as Durant has not expressed to anyone inside or outside the team that he has any intentions of leaving.

Undeterred, the defending champion Warriors also believe they have a shot. How some of the biggest-market teams in the league have emerged as even remotely possible destinations for the best player on one of the smallest-market teams is a topic for another day -- and raises the question of how competitive balance is going to work as the salary cap skyrockets over the next two years.
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For now, by breaking his hand in a fight with friend and assistant equipment manger Matias Testi, Griffin unwittingly pushed the Clippers out of the shadows as a possible landing spot for Durant. How? If both the Clippers and Thunder fall short of their championship aspirations this spring, it could present a perfect storm of circumstances that bring the two franchises together as trade partners.

If the Thunder are led to believe there's a real chance Durant would leave, their first call should be to the Clippers, whose own problems could present a solution for the Thunder -- and a scenario that certainly would be better than losing Durant for nothing.

There are miles to go and many variables to account for before this situation becomes even remotely possible. On one hand, Griffin is only 26 (turning 27 next month) and is from Oklahoma, presenting the Thunder with a ready-made marketing blitz to help ease the pain of Durant's departure.

However, according to a person close to Griffin, there's no guarantee he'd embrace returning home to play. The possibility hasn't been discussed within Griffin's camp, but as one prominent player operative noted, “Some guys don't want to play at home. Too many distractions.”

The benefits of playing in a small market like Oklahoma City -- less glitz and glamour, fewer media responsibilities, an organization that has proved to be protective of its stars -- would be canceled out for Griffin. For him, Oklahoma City would be like New York on steroids. This factor must be considered, especially since Griffin has a player option for the 2017-18 season.

“I've seen him there; it's like Michael Jackson walking around,” the person close to Griffin said.

Then, there are the cap mechanics, which are challenging to say the least. Depending on how their books are situated heading into the summer, the Clippers would likely have to shed salary or recruit a third team to facilitate the deal before they could seriously entertain a sign-and-trade for Durant. Under current CBA rules, a team cannot acquire a player in a sign-and-trade if the deal propels it more than $4 million above the luxury-tax line. Even then, that level -- known as the apron -- becomes a hard cap for the rest of that season.

Further, Durant would be subject to base-year compensation as part of such a trade. It's a complicated mechanism that has been fazed out of the CBA except in sign-and-trade scenarios. Basically, it means that Durant's outgoing salary for the Thunder would count far less in the trade calculation than his actual, incoming salary for the Clippers, making the salary-matching mechanics of the deal exceedingly complicated.

Finally, would Durant realistically view the Clippers -- with soon-to-be 31-year-old Chris Paul, who has never advanced past the second round -- as giving him a better chance to win than the Thunder, with 27-year-old Russell Westbrook, who has helped Durant win more than 70 percent of the games he's played over the past five seasons?

So much of this scenario is clouded, but two things have become clear in recent days: Open-season on Durant's looming free agency has begun, and the Clippers may have stumbled upon a way to be right in the middle of it.
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robbie380 · Feb 6, 2016

theoldblood said: ↑

I don't know. but if he did, what a storm that would cause.
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It wouldn't be a bigger storm than Lebron, Bosh, and Wade.

The Warriors have done an absolutely amazing job building their team from the ground up and now they have a ton of free agent options for 2016-2017. They are going to sign or trade for a big name to go along with Curry, Klay, and Green no matter what. I just looked again at their salary situation and it's pretty crazy how much flexibility they have.

robbie380 · Feb 6, 2016

J.R. said: ↑

Kevin Durant-Blake Griffin deal needs perfect storm, and it could be brewing
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#clickbait

BackdoorHarden · Feb 6, 2016

This Durant story is just to hype up the game tonight.

No way is Durant going to the Warriors. He's coming here to join his buddy, Harden and WB will follow the following season.

Durant has told Harden they want another shot at it, which the cheap OKC owners never gave them with Durant, WB, Harden all in their prime

theoldblood · Feb 6, 2016

BackdoorHarden said: ↑

This Durant story is just to hype up the game tonight.

No way is Durant going to the Warriors. He's coming here to join his buddy, Harden and WB will follow the following season.

Durant has told Harden they want another shot at it, which the cheap OKC owners never gave them with Durant, WB, Harden all in their prime
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Just have the Rockets and Thunder swap places.

J.R. · Feb 7, 2016

Kevin Durant playing with Golden State? Warriors fans dare to dream

The Warriors have been hearing for years that they’d be on Durant’s short list when his free agency time came around. But because of their elevated status, not only the 2014-15 title but this gaudy record that has them looking like the favorites to defend, there’s an if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it component that simply can’t be resolved until the forthcoming postseason plays out. If the Warriors win it all yet again, the pressure to pay restricted free agent small forward Harrison Barnes his exorbitant market value to return will be great if only because he will have proved —twice — to be a pivotal part of their core. But if they lose, and if the Thunder aren’t the ones unseating them from the NBA’s throne, then the proverbial door to this seemingly-unfair scenario will be wide open.

Durant in Oracle Arena on this night was something to remember. Now for the part we don’t know: whether this might become the new norm.
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theangrycanary · Feb 7, 2016

omg

That actually makes sense.

1. Golden state wins and... they are unbeatable

2. Golden state and OKC lose, they get durant, they are unbeatable...

3. OKC wins.

So, the only way that Golden state doesn't become a league wrecking unbeatable juggernaut is if okc wins it all. wow

J.R. · Feb 7, 2016

Should Kevin Durant return to OKC or join Golden State?

Should Durant leave OKC to join Curry and the Warriors?

This summer, Kevin Durant can shake up the league if he wants to. Will he? Does he want to? And should he? The answers depend on how much he wants to win.

At just 27, Durant is at his peak and will become the ideal free agent in a little more than four months. Furthermore, he's likely to be the top player on the open market, and the salary cap is expected to rise an unprecedented amount. It is the ultimate free-agent scenario.

How will Durant handle it? Let's examine some key questions and answers, including my recommendations regarding five potential destinations.
Is he like LeBron, or the anti-LeBron?

In some ways, Durant's situation resembles the 2010 and 2014 courtships of LeBron James. (LeBron is also a potential free agent in 2016, though he's expected to stay in Cleveland.)

So should we expect Durant to follow a similar path out of town?

In retrospect, James' decision to leave Cleveland, and then eventually return, shouldn't have come as a surprise, even though we were caught off-guard both times.

In both instances James was a free agent because years earlier he had given himself various ways to leave. In each case, he exercised an out clause in his contract (in 2010, he declined his player option, while in 2014 he exercised an early termination option).

All the while, his public comments, while not definitively stating a desire to leave his current team, also did not commit him to anything other than the due diligence to evaluate all of his options when the time came to do so.

On the other hand, consider Durant, who famously, with no hesitation or drama, signed his rookie-scale extension for the maximum length with no early exit options. He has remained publicly loyal to the only franchise he's ever belonged to. In fact, for much of his career, his "loyalty" to the small-market Thunder been touted as a key redeeming quality separating him from the mercenary likes of James.

So Durant has been positioned as the "anti-LeBron," in a sense. And indeed, that fierce loyalty to OKC and all of the ties he's made within the community appear to be strong factors in potentially keeping him there.
How much money is at stake?

For Durant, any max-level contract this summer would start at roughly $25.1 million. That number is determined according to his nine years of service, slotting him in at 30 percent of the salary cap. If Durant was a 10-year vet, he would be eligible for a larger share of the cap (35 percent), which would give him a starting salary of $29.3 million.

For this reason, whether he leaves Oklahoma City or not, Durant likely will sign a deal that is similar in structure to what James inked the last two summers: a two-year deal with a player option on the second year. If he does so, Durant will be able to re-enter free agency in 2017 as a 10-year vet and become eligible for the larger 35 percent share.

As the salary cap continues to rise, the summer of 2017 will feature even more cash and cap space for teams. The cap is currently projected to grow another 20 percent from 2016 to 2017. That would put Durant's starting salary at $35.4 million in 2017, more than $10 million above his starting salary in 2016.

So, if Durant were to opt out in 2017 then sign a four-year deal thereafter, he'd bring his five-year total earnings to a whopping $182.4 million in Oklahoma City versus $144.5 million if he merely signed a five-year deal in 2016.

If Durant wants the maximum amount and security right away, the Thunder can make the biggest offer this July. But if wants to sign just a two-year deal with a player option, then Durant should have a variety of even more lucrative options ahead, whether he stays or leaves.

Where are the potential destinations?

Regardless of which structural option Durant opts for, the unprecedented influx of cash makes the pursuit of him appear to be a tightly competitive race. Here are some of the front-runners:

Oklahoma City
If there is a betting favorite, it should be OKC. The Thunder brass will be able to point to the massive success they've enjoyed when healthy, and the fact that the core of the team is all aged appropriately to continue to remain competitive over the next four to five years.

Also, the Thunder can offer him the highest salary and most years right away.

Washington Wizards
Durant was born in D.C. and grew up nearby. His "home" team boasts a young, dynamic backcourt in John Wall and Bradley Beal and would provide a hero's welcome. KD would also get the bonus of not having to face Golden State or San Antonio through the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Los Angeles Lakers
While Los Angeles has the stage suited for a player like Durant, its core is too young to compete right away. Kobe Bryant's impending retirement provides room for the next star to thrive and makes the Lakers' books extremely light, which would allow them to continue to add talent beyond Durant.

Last fall, Stephen A. Smith reported that L.A. was Durant's favorite destination if he were to leave Oklahoma City, which led to an indirect verbal skirmish between Durant and Smith over the report. And about a week ago, Smith said that the Lakers hope to sign Durant's Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook in 2017, which could serve as an inducement for KD.

Golden State Warriors
A longtime rumor became a trending topic this week as Yahoo! Sports reported that Golden State would be a leading option for Durant should he leave the Thunder. The Warriors would have to rearrange the furniture on their cap sheets to create the flexibility to sign Durant, but they have shown the ability to create that flexibility. Golden State would give Durant the opportunity to play with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in the best offensive system in the league.

Atlanta Hawks
A dark horse candidate, the Hawks have flexibility on their side, a fluid offensive system and an opportunity to create a new legacy of excellence around Durant rather than trying to match the accomplishments of prior iterations of the team.

Does Durant want to play with Westbrook?
The elephant in the room is the complicated relationship between Durant and Westbrook. OKC's point guard puts up more shots than Durant, and each one often has seemed more dominant when the other is not playing. Does that mean they'd be better off apart?

They always publicly support one another and express an interest in continuing to play alongside each other. In fact, as noted, one rumor has them playing together with the Lakers as early as 2017.

But it is hard not to shudder at the disjointed offense the Thunder run, regardless of how efficient the result might be on paper.

How Durant truly feels about playing with his high-usage teammate isn't the only factor, as Westbrook himself will be a free agent in 2017. Even if he enjoys playing alongside Westbrook, Durant must weigh whether committing long term to the Thunder without any long-term commitment from Westbrook is the right thing to do.

What should KD do?
The growing consensus is that Durant should sign a two-year deal with the Thunder, with a player option on the second year, then re-evaluate free agency in 2017. That would be one route to the best earning potential over the next five years, give him and the Thunder one more shot at a title and allow him to evaluate what the future of the organization will look post-2017 with regard to Westbrook.

But I would tell him to make that same deal elsewhere.

The league is evolving away from the iso-ball that Oklahoma City uses. NBA defenses are too sophisticated to allow iso-heavy basketball to defeat them, and so the push to decentralize focus from one- or two-play generators to a more egalitarian, free-flowing offense is almost compulsory for true championship contention. And even if the Thunder can defy the trends, their taxing style of play won't get any easier for Durant and Westbrook as they age.

That doesn't mean we won't have star players in the league, or big-time scorers. After all, Curry, the reigning MVP and league leader in scoring, excels in one of the most egalitarian offenses. But it does mean that life can be a lot easier for gifted players when the opposing defense can't zero in on them.

Perhaps Durant will want to stay in Oklahoma City, but that's not the best place for his career in the long term.

There are two better alternatives.

The first is Golden State. The Warriors' offense is everything the Thunder's isn't: fluid, decentralized and with lots of easy shots created. Defensively, they've really mastered positionless basketball, with seamless switches at almost every position.

As a Warrior, Durant would be able to reap the benefits of an offensive system that will free him, while also adding to an already potent defensive scheme. He would potentially extend Golden State's window of contention by another five years or more. He could play fewer minutes and manage his eventual physical decline more gradually.

The second is Atlanta. Like Golden State, the Hawks would offer the freedom of a fluid offense that creates easy looks for its scorers and an elite defense that exploits the versatility of the players executing it.

And unlike Golden State, the Hawks would allow Durant to avoid the stigma of "hopping on a bandwagon." Instead, he would have the opportunity to create a new legacy and bring prosperity to a franchise that made its first-ever Eastern Conference finals in Atlanta last season.

Oklahoma City has been very good to Durant, but that's largely in the past. The future belongs more to teams like Golden State and Atlanta. The versatility of their respective rosters and the fluidity of their offenses would allow Durant to explore deeper levels of personal achievement within the context of the team scheme.

And ultimately, either one would result in a better chance at adding a championship to his résumé.
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A_3PO · Feb 7, 2016

The cap growing another 20% in 2017 is news to me. I thought the expectation was more like 10%. Either way, I've thought all along KD would sign a one-year deal (two and an option) with OKC and re-evaluate in 2017.

DreamRun95 · Feb 7, 2016

I think with how they played against the Warriors and managed to come back from 20 down and tie the game will help OKC in keeping Durant at least for 1 more season. Probably won't leave his buddy Westbrook hanging.

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Woj Sources: Warriors serious threat to sign Kevin Durant

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