NBA Free Agency 2016: Latest Kevin Durant, Al Horford and Joakim Noah Rumors
The summer of Kevin Durant doesn't mean Durant is alone.
Far from it, in fact, with this being one of the quieter instances of a major name heading to the free-agent market. Fitting, because Durant is one of the quietest superstars in recent memory.
He has help in making such a quiet summer, though. Sure, he'll take visits, but this is nothing compared to the summer of a LeBron James—who, coincidentally enough, didn't opt out of his contract this year (you the real MVP).
Headline act or not, Durant isn't stealing the entirety of the spotlight from a deep free-agent class. For those curious about the future of the Association, it's important to keep up with rumblings surrounding him, as well as other important names.
Normally, Joakim Noah might not get a nod as one of the most important players on the market.
As one could have probably guessed, much of the status depends on what teams come up in rumblings with him.
The New York Knicks have a way of raising a free agent's profile, folks. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Noah is No. 1 on the team's list: "The Knicks are desperate for a starting center — their top target is Joakim Noah."
Here's where it gets more interesting—Steve Kyler of BasketballInsiders.com reinforced this by suggesting Noah ranks higher on New York's list than one Dwight Howard:
Cash seems like the main reason why; though, it sure doesn't hurt the Knicks swung a trade for Derrick Rose, the Rose-Noah duo a staple of the Chicago Bulls for years and their relationship still strong.
Noah is 31 years old and last year mustered a paltry 4.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game on an average of 21.9 minutes over 29 appearances. New York sounds ready to give him a starting role back and might be one of the only locales willing to do so.
Not only does Noah's potential addition give the Knicks plenty of intrigue thanks to a Rose-Carmelo Anthony-Kristaps Porzingis-Noah look, it heavily influences the fates of Howard and others.
The Noah-New York link seems like it will have a big say in where former Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford ends up, too.
Horford, though, has plenty of options and will also dictate where Howard goes, though those two will get more comparable money than compared to Noah.
According to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, several notable franchises will enter the fray for Horford:
It's not hard to see why teams will come at Horford with a max. Traditional centers are dying and rah-rah, but Horford is one of the most reliable guys in the league at 30 years old, a rock who just posted averages of 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
Horford hasn't averaged less than those points or rebounds since an injury-ruined 2011 campaign and the block numbers tied his career high.
Of the mentioned teams, the Boston Celtics make the most sense. Boston only has Amir Johnson at center and didn't go out of its way with three first-round picks to get a new-look starter to help balance what is a backcourt-heavy roster.
The Washington Wizards and Miami Heat, on the other hand, have Marcin Gortat and Hassan Whiteside, respectively. The snag here is Miami, a team perhaps ready to lose a bidding war on the market for Whiteside. Ending up giving Horford similar cash would say a lot about the team's direction and how it feels about both big men.
Either way, Horford has no shortage of suitors, even if Noah seems to have locked down one attractive destination.
Kevin Durant
Whatever NBA fans do, they better not compare Durant to LeBron when it comes to free agency.
This has layers.
Durant has had a much quieter trip to market, something unlikely to change. A source who spoke with ESPN's Britt McHenry also made it quite clear Washington doesn't stand a chance at Durant, killing any thoughts of a homecoming, as captured by ESPN.com:
"The Wizards recently reached out to Durant's camp to gauge his interest in joining his hometown team, the source told McHenry, but were told that the superstar forward's situation is different from LeBron James' free agency in 2014, when the four-time MVP returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"It's not like LeBron and Cleveland," the source told McHenry.
"
This follows a note by USA Today's Sam Amick, who revealed Washington and the Los Angeles Lakers won't even get a meeting with Durant this summer.
Fans should find themselves rather disappointed at this news. Durant getting slick dishes from John Wall and running the floor with Bradley Beal, not to mention strong role players such as Markieff Morris and Gortat, would have been quite the sight.
Don't forget the oddity of Durant playing in the Eastern Conference, which also doubles as great news because he'd have more duels with the likes of LeBron, Carmelo, Paul George and others.
Alas, the longer this drags on, the more it seems the original notion of Durant inking a new deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder makes sense. He has a good thing going with Russell Westbrook, the team just improved by trading for Victor Oladipo and he just fell one game short of the Finals after coughing up a 3-1 lead.
Durant never seemed like a guy who would have a loud, borderline obnoxious trip to market. This hasn't been anything of the sort yet. He also doesn't seem like a guy who will ditch his team and become a villain.
These latest developments hint at a return to the Thunder after eliminating two of the more popular destination theories out there.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
