NBA Rumors: Latest Free-Agent Buzz on LeBron James, Kevin Durant and More
As if the NBA rumors market wasn't hectic enough for fans, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors just joined the fray.
So goes the market this time of year as players opt in and out, franchises do the same where applicable and a handful of teams start dreaming about luring a LeBron James or Paul George to town. Or in this rare instance, even ponder the idea of sacrificing it all to land a superstar like Kawhi Leonard in a trade.
Believe it or not, this flurry of continued news is actually something of a dead period in comparison to what the rumors market will look like once the first major domino falls and creates a ripple effect on the rest of the market.
Which domino takes a tumble first is hard to say, though the latest set of rumors features the addition of Durant and more chatter surrounding James.
Nikola Jokic
Get used to seeing Nikola Jokic's name alongside the likes of Durant and James.
Jokic is one of the NBA's next big things, even if fans outside of the Denver area haven't caught on to the idea yet. He's only 23 years old and coming off a season where he averaged 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 0.8 blocks per game while not only shooting 49.9 percent from the floor but also 39.6 percent from three-point range.
It's not hard to see why the Denver Nuggets are hard at work trying to figure something out with the 6'10", 250-pound center, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:
Turning down the team option makes Jokic a restricted free agent and sets him up for $147 million over five years on a max.
Jokic is the definition of a steal after the Nuggets selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft. He's since exploded into the ideal big man in today's NBA, spacing the floor and possessing elite vision, enabling those around him.
Or written another way, he's the perfect franchise centerpiece a small-market team needs to compete. Locking down Jokic now could not only help attract free agents but puts the Nuggets in playoff contention for years.
Kevin Durant
Durant is headed to free agency.
It's not as scary as Warriors fans might think though. Durant will hit the open market on July 1 and then turn around and ink a new deal, at least according to multiple reports.
Per Marc Stein of the New York Times, Durant will opt out of his $26.3 million player option so he can sign a new deal with the team:
Durant has always been open about his desire to stick with the Warriors, so the real question becomes what kind of deal he signs, how and why. For some, such as Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, the likeliest scenario is a three-year deal with a player option on the final season, meaning he could head back to the market in 2020.
Another three-year deal would put Durant back on the open market at the age of 31 and still in the middle of his prime. It's impossible to know what the NBA landscape will look like then, but he'd surely land another max deal with a team and do so at perhaps a bigger rate if the cap keeps rising.
Durant isn't going to leave the dynasty he's helped create, not after pulling in another Finals MVP after averaging 26.4 points, 5.4 assists and 6.8 rebounds and shooting 41.9 percent from the floor during the regular season, the highest mark of his career since 2008-09.
As for the Warriors, there's nothing to negotiate—Durant gets what he wants.
LeBron James
The king doesn't want any fanfare surrounding his next possible trip to market.
Possible, because James hasn't made it public whether he'll opt out of his deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers by Friday.
But if he does, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reported James doesn't want any special treatment: "While James hasn't decided yet whether to pick up his player option, sources close to the situation tell ESPN that he has no intention of hearing elaborate pitch meetings from teams."
James, now 33 years old, doesn't need the billboards or meeting with local celebrities to explain why a destination is right for him. He knows a possible suitor for him such as the Houston Rockets has good friend Chris Paul. He knows the Philadelphia 76ers have incredible upside thanks to a young core including Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. He even knows the Los Angeles Lakers are the Los Angeles Lakers, a team well built over the last few years and capable of bringing on more than one superstar.
But James also knows something else—staying in Cleveland makes some sense, too.
Like anyone else, James is well aware of the falling out between the San Antonio Spurs and Leonard. Like those playing close attention, he's also seen the report from Sam Amick of USA Today suggesting the Spurs will only trade Leonard to the Eastern Conference—and that the Cavaliers have already asked about a deal, but have made little to no progress.
And Leonard is just one scenario. There's no saying the Cavaliers can't clear some room and bring on a George or Paul. Opting out doesn't mean leaving Cleveland this time, though he shouldn't feel tied to the organization either after the odd rebuild in the middle of last season before his needing to do all the work himself in the playoffs.
The James saga is once again the most interesting, though it's clear he doesn't want to command the spotlight this time. Unfortunately for a king, that's just how it goes.
