Ranking Kevin Durant's Possible Free-Agent Destinations by Superstar Pairings
We no longer care about remaining cap space or fit with the rest of the roster. It doesn't matter how many other stars would be stealing Kevin Durant's touches. The team's depth and ability to compete for a championship is wholly irrelevant.
All that matters, to use a term coined by Bleacher Report's Dan Favale, is the ohmygod-ness of the superstar pairing formed by Durant and his new (or potentially old) primary running mate.
We're looking for the duos that will create the most highlights, dazzling fans with thunderous dunks, dizzying feats of athleticism and awe-inspiring displays of skill. We want groupings that truly love playing with one another, to the point that their passion can't help but inspire any and all onlookers.
Not every potential pairing will be considered. Imagining Durant working alongside Anthony Davis is fun, but it ain't happening. Ditto for the prospects of him suiting up next to LeBron James, Paul George or DeMarcus Cousins.
He's taking a meeting with six different teams, per TNT's David Aldridge, and those are the only six we'll pretend exist.
6. Boston Celtics: Kevin Durant and Isaiah Thomas
It's tempting to disqualify the Boston Celtics right away, because Isaiah Thomas isn't really a superstar. Sure, he made the All-Star roster during a season that saw him average 22.2 points and 6.2 assists, but would he have passed muster if he played in the Western Conference? Is he a household name in a league that has plenty of them?
Even one of his teammates has gone on the record that it's the Celtics as a whole who operate as a collective superstar.
Here's Jae Crowder, per ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg: "We just had an All-Star [Thomas]. So I don't know what other superstar you want. But there's a lot of talk about we need a superstar and stuff like that. But all five guys on the court are so locked in and so engaged that we're one superstar. We all play together."
There's no doubt Thomas and Durant would be quite effective on the offensive end, producing a tremendous one-two scoring punch. The height disparity would also be a cute twist on traditional superstar pairings, since it's uncommon for there to be a literal foot of difference between the two members.
But Thomas just doesn't meet the gold standard established by the other five contenders.
5. Miami Heat: Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade
If you're thinking Dwyane Wade is too old to finish ahead of anyone in this countdown, you may have a point. He'll turn 35 years old in January, and most athletic shooting guards don't tend to age all that well.
But allow us a rebuttal:
That's Wade throwing down like a young stud during the 2016 playoffs, proving once and for all that his knee problems belong in the distant past. Throughout the postseason, Wade looked spry as ever, and his numbers supported the eye test. Not many players are capable of averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in efficient fashion when the pressure cooker is turned up to 11.
Just for good measure, here's one more counterargument:
Nonetheless, age does have to be a concern. It's tough to admit, but it's ultimately necessary.
We'll argue until we're red in the face that Wade and Durant would make one helluva duo in 2016-17. They're both unselfish players who can take over games in multiple ways, and defenses would have nightmares trying to guard both of them when they're off the ball and ready to slash toward the hoop.
But longevity has to be a factor, and the time we'd have to enjoy this pairing would be limited. Maybe we'd squeeze a few more high-quality years out of Wade, but we certainly can't expect him to play like a bona fide superstar for the entirety of Durant's hypothetical South Beach contract.
4. Los Angeles Clippers: Kevin Durant and Chris Paul
No offense, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
The Los Angeles Clippers still belong to Chris Paul, and they will until he shows some hint of a significant decline. Even in a league dominated by Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook, Paul managed to assert himself as a legitimate contender for the 1-guard crown, averaging 19.5 points and 10.0 assists while steering his squad to yet another successful regular season.
Do these stats, per NBA Math and my own calculations, make it look like Paul is ready to drop out of the elite class?
Sure, he's not going to reach the marks he earned in 2008-09 ever again, but that's an impossible standard. He's still producing incredible numbers, and his playing style makes it far more likely he'll defy the convention that floor generals begin declining when they enter their 30s.
Put Durant beside him, and he'll enjoy even more longevity. Though no one has ever averaged 15 assists throughout an entire season—John Stockton came closest in 1989-90 but fell 0.46 dimes per game shy—that number feels possible if he gets to pass to one of the league's premier 50/40/90 threats.
Plus, the 2014 NBA MVP may improve with LAC. Westbrook has developed into a fantastic distributor, but he still doesn't create easy chances like Paul does with his insane vision, hesitation dribbles and overall feel for the game.
Durant may well go 60/50/90 in Los Angeles, and it's not like the Clippers 1-guard struggles to create offense for himself.
The only concerns here are twofold. One is age, since Paul is already 31 and isn't guaranteed to remain at his current level forever. The other is residual animosity from this play:
Teammates aren't supposed to make each other's vocal ranges rise a full octave without using helium.
3. San Antonio Spurs: Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard
Imagine if Durant and Kawhi Leonard both got to focus on their biggest strengths.
The former would get to stop worrying about covering tough forwards and instead direct his full attention to offense.
We'd see more rim-rattling slams as he elevates through the teeth of a defense. We'd see more isolation attacks that result in Dirk Nowitzki mimicry as he launches and fades off a single foot. We'd even see him push the limits of transition basketball and leave most every defender eating his dust.
Meanwhile, the latter would somehow get even better on defense.
It's no surprise that Leonard's defensive box plus/minus dropped to less-ridiculous levels as he assumed more responsibility in the San Antonio Spurs' offensive schemes. Allow him to utilize the skills he learned in a smaller role, and it would creep back up to historic levels for a small forward.
From a purely strategic perspective, it's hard to imagine this falling anywhere short of No. 1. But we're worried about ohmygod-ness and sheer entertainment, which means the personality-depressing Spurs and the relative lack of media access pushes the duo just out of the top two and into the second tier.
2. Golden State Warriors: Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry
When Curry spots up on the perimeter, everyone snaps to attention. Each of the five opposing players has to pay attention to where he stands, and they typically adjust their positioning to provide his primary defender with some extra help.
If he's waiting for an opportunity on the left wing, the entire defense shifts to the left, almost like the movement was choreographed before the game. Ditto for the right wing.
According to ICE data provided by B/R Insights, Curry exhibited the NBA's third-largest gravitational pull during the 2015-16 season, trailing only Carmelo Anthony (see: weakness of the New York Knicks and corresponding ability to leave teammates open) and Boban Marjanovic (see: sample, small).
Of course, Durant is no slouch in the gravity department. By the same measure, he finished in the 91st percentile, and he might have fared even better if he'd spent more time working off the ball and veering through screens—he might in a Steve Kerr offense.
Put Durant on the left and Curry on the right, and a defender caught in the middle might literally split in half as he tries to go in both directions simultaneously.
Plus, don't you just want to see this...
...paired with this?
Of course you do. You're only human.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook
Durant and Russell Westbrook aren't perfect fits. If they were, they might've won a title by now. Far too often, they devolve into alternating isolation sets and fail to maximize their potential.
But they still work quite well together. Durant and Curry might have more upside, but the certainty of the established superstar pairing pushes them just over the top.
According to NBAWowy.com, the Thunder outscored their opponents by an audacious 13.3 points per 100 possessions when both of their marquee players were on the floor. For the sake of comparison, the San Antonio Spurs led the league in net rating, checking in at 11.3.
Plus, for all the talk about them butting heads and being incompatible because they both require so many shots, they've never once explicitly said they don't like each other. On the contrary, they've consistently defended the other while emphasizing their chemistry.
That was Durant reacting to Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's remarks about the number of superstars in OKC. Here's Durant, per Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman, revealing whether it bothers him when someone questions his friendship with Westbrook:
"How can you tell? That's my whole question. What are you basing that off of? Because he shoots more than I do one game? That don't make no sense...And it's really disrespectful to me or to us because you think I'm that selfish of a person. I don't like this guy because he shoots more than me? That's disrespectful to me. Because if I'm a friend, I'm genuine. I'm there. No matter what. Good days, bad days, more shots. I'm a real friend. If I like somebody, I like them. I may not agree with everything they do on the court. That's a part of it. But don't say we both changing as men when your questions are changing. Don't come to me and ask what's going on with Russell and expect me to be alright with it.
"
Sticking with the status quo might be boring.
But in this case, "boring" involves relentlessly pursuing alley-oop assaults, combining for 91 points in a single outing and producing nightly showcases of unmatchable athletic ability. Even their on-court tiffs and the constant competition for clutch possessions is entertaining.
Each of the other five potential duos is intriguing because it hasn't ever been rooted in reality. This one is exciting even though we've already witnessed it for eight seasons.
If Durant played with Curry, it would be incredible. The same applies to a hypothetical pairing with Leonard. But each other location also guarantees we'd never again have the distinct pleasure of witnessing Durant and Westbrook together during their athletic primes, and that's nothing short of a travesty.
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @fromal09.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball-Reference.com or NBAMath.com.
