Kevin Durant: Latest News, Rumors and Speculation on Thunder Star's Future
Even though Kevin Durant still has one more season to play on his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, speculation has already started about where he might be when the 2016-17 season begins.
Continue for updates.
Wizards Expected to Heavily Pursue Durant
Friday, July 17
Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post noted the angle Washington will likely take to lure Durant:
"The Wizards’ pitch, beyond the homecoming angle, will center on the young talent that would surround Durant. He could partner with both Wall, giving him an elite pass-first point guard for the first time in his career, and Beal, an ascending sharpshooting star. Wall would be 26, Beal 23, and Durant 28 in their first season together. The trio could form the NBA’s next Big Three for years to come
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Castillo also provided a quote from Wall on the idea of the Wizards being attractive to Durant:
"Yeah, I think so. I think we’re one of those teams on the rise. You look at free agency, a lot of people want to come and play for us. The main thing is it’s going to be his decision. You got to sit back and let him make the best decision for him and his family. All we can do is sit back and just try to focus on us. Try to win as much as we can and if that can attract him to come play with us then so be it.”
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On July 7, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported the Dallas Mavericks "believe they can be a significant player" in the Durant sweepstakes. NBA reporter Chris Palmer noted the Los Angeles Clippers will make a "massive push" for Durant and that there's mutual interest.
The stunner on the short list, according to Fox Sports' Sam Amick during a radio interview with 95.7 The Game, are the newly crowned NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
This speculation is fascinating, but Durant has to prove he's going to be healthy after essentially a lost season in 2014-15. He only played in 27 games and had three operations for lingering problems in his right foot.
During an appearance at the NBA Summer League in Orlando, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, Durant said he feels good and expects to be cleared for basketball activities in August.
If Durant returns and plays at the level he has for the past eight years, there's no doubt he can break the bank for NBA contracts. The 26-year-old has been a machine, averaging at least 25 points in seven straight seasons and shooting over 50 percent the last three years.
