There’s little doubt that Kevin Durant will be the most sought-after free agent in the market once the current NBA season ends. The Oklahoma City Thunder star is one of the most dynamic scorers in the league, and almost every franchise will be linked to him until he decides to sign a new contract.
Durant might fit with every team in the league and chances are he’ll turn any franchise into an instant title contender, but that doesn’t mean every team should be in Durant’s consideration. Here are five teams in which the Slim Reaper would fit better considering the strength of the roster, the chances of winning a title and how he’d fit with the current team.
5) Boston Celtics: On paper the Celtics would be a great fit for Durant. Brad Stevens has a very young team at his disposal, and landing Durant would put them straight into the conversation for the best team in the Eastern Conference. The one knock on Durant’s arrival would be that he’d be the lone focal point on the offense due to the lack of superstar talent around him, and he already has a young coach and a very good supporting cast at the Thunder. He’d be basically jumping to a similar situation but on a different conference, and chances are Oklahoma City is better equipped to make a deep run at the tournament on a yearly basis. For what it’s worth, though, the Celtics fans REALLY want Durant to join the Celtics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4W8qttaeso&w=854&h=480
4) Miami Heat: Dwayne Wade played with LeBron James for four years, and there are chances he would now play with Kevin Durant in case Durantula becomes the second superstar to take his talents to South Beach. A new Big Three of Wade, Goran Dragic and Durant would form one of the top scoring units in the NBA, but a possible arrival of Durant depends on what happens with Chris Bosh, not to mention the Heat would have to trade Luol Deng and not re-sign Hassan Whiteside. Durant would be a good fit, but the team wouldn’t have enough depth to make a deep title run – that’s ultimately what Durant is pursuing.
3) San Antonio Spurs: Is there any player in the NBA that doesn’t want to be coached by Gregg Popovich? Even though the Spurs have the league’s biggest up-and-coming star entrenched at small forward in Kawhi Leonard and an established All-Star such as LaMarcus Aldridge at the power forward role, Popovich would likely find a way to insert Durant in the starting lineup, most likely rotating him and Leonard at PF and moving Aldridge to center. That trio would form one of the most imposing frontcourts the NBA has seen in recent years, but two of the best players would be out of position, and ultimately that might hurt the team’s chemistry. Not to mention, Durant would shrink the majority of the Spurs’ cap space, and they would be left with minimal depth on the rest of the roster.
2) Washington Wizards: There has been talk of Durant going back home as a DC native, and even though Durant seems to be a massive upgrade over what the Wizards have chosen to play at small forward on a daily basis, it’s still not clear whether KD will follow LeBron James’ footsteps and play for the team of his hometown. It has to be admitted, however, that a starting lineup of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat certainly looks appealing, and it would a threat to make a deep title run on the East.
1) Oklahoma City Thunder: Durant might entertain the talk of moving elsewhere as much as he wants, but he knows his best chance to win a title in the short term lies with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team coach by Billy Donovan has the depth, the youth, the athleticism, the versatility on the roster and the presence of another super star in Russell Westbrook to make deep title runs in the Western Conference year after year. Plus, if he signs a short deal, then he would be eligible for a maximum deal once the salary cap rises in the future. Both on and off the court, Durant would be wise to extend his contract with Oklahoma City as soon as possible.