It has been an up-and-down week involving the OKC Thunder with the trade of Serge Ibaka and the media blitz surrounding the future of Kevin Durant. The truth is only one person knows for sure where KD is going to end up and KD himself is smart enough to not publicly announce his decision until he has to. Free agency begins on July 1 and teams can’t announce the signing of contracts until July 8. With that said, here are my thoughts as to where KD will and won’t end up, keeping in mind that a lot can change as other free agents are able to agree in principle to join teams hoping to attract KD.
Among the teams that just don’t have a shot at KD are the
following non-playoff teams:
- · Brooklyn, Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento and Utah
These teams are just not good and don’t have any immediate
movement toward being improved enough to be title teams by adding KD and even
another key free agent or two. Among these non-playoff teams from 2015-16,
Chicago, Orlando and Utah may have the most potential. However, Chicago is
unloading players (Derrick Rose and maybe more), Orlando just traded three of
its players to OKC and Utah doesn’t have a single player who is even a
perennial All-Star.
- Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Memphis, Portland and Toronto
The teams on this list are playoff teams from this past
season that for one reason or another aren’t going to be destinations for KD.
Atlanta just traded away it’s one All-Star from this past season. Charlotte,
Indiana, Memphis, Portland and Toronto just aren’t going to be top free agent
destinations this year. Dallas? Remember when KD called owner Mark Cuban an
“idiot?” Detroit? Remember when KD spoke negatively about playing in Detroit?
And let’s not forget how much the OKC players disliked Reggie Jackson. Houston?
Where “the defense rests” is more than just a statement? James Hardin had his
chance to play with KD and he selfishly chose to take the money and run. KD
isn’t going to reward that level of selfishness by chasing a ring in Houston.
Plus, the way this team plays and will likely continue to play doesn’t seem
like they would actually get that much better with KD. And that can’t be said
of any other team.
- · Boston, Cleveland, Golden State, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Miami, Minnesota, New York, San Antonio and Washington
The popular teams in the media as possible destinations find
themselves on this list. Looking at each of them individually, there are
obvious flaws with each.
Boston is a popular pick due to salary cap room, the
up-and-coming coach and the market appeal of being the home of the Celtics. This
actually may be the equivalent to the LeBron to Miami scenario should KD be OK
with being the second Kevin to chase a title in Beantown (Kevin Garnett,
anyone?). If the Celtics sign the right free agents and if the players on the
bench step it up overnight and if the leaders on this team can accept a lesser
role, then the Celtics could potentially compete for a title. Seems like a lot
of “ifs” for a guy whose team had a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals
over the best regular-season team in NBA history.
Cleveland is on this list only because the defending
champions probably shouldn’t have won, and there is talk they may get rid of
Kevin Love. So, there is the talk about KD possibly playing with his “friend,”
LeBron. Not that it couldn’t happen but it won’t happen in Cleveland. KD would
be viewed as the number two guy and he is too young to be giving up on being
able to “lead” a team to a title. Robert Horry and Derek Fisher did that and
KD’s legacy deserves better than to be a higher-scoring Big-Game Bob and Fish.
The most popular pick among those who think Chris Broussard
has any value as an NBA insider is Golden State, them of the 73 wins and the
constant running of the mouths. This is the one place KD could go where he
would get zero respect from anyone. They won a title without KD. They can win
another title without KD. He would be the second-best player on this team as
well and wouldn’t change anything other than the lineup. On paper, it might
sound good, but in reality this is nothing more than Karl Malone and Gary
Payton signing with the Lakers to win a title. And that didn’t work out for
them.
Next up are the LA teams. Nobody is really talking about the
Clippers but this seems like a more realistic destination for Russell Westbrook
after next season, if he is in fact pining to head home to LA. With some of
their top players (Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick) set to become free
agents after this upcoming season, this could be a flashy place for Russ and KD
to rejoin and build a team. But who knows how long that would take? Same for
the Lakers. Even if KD joined this year and wasted a season “getting to know”
his new teammates, bringing in Russ the next year wouldn’t guarantee anything
but a reset. And we all know Sam Presti would have traded Russ away in 2016-17
to ensure the team got something in return for losing KD and Russ.
Miami seems to be the destination for guys like Stephen A.
Smith, who have made sure everyone knows how much they love being able to
travel to Miami. Pat Riley is great. But the Miami lineup couldn’t beat Toronto
with Hassan Whiteside out of the lineup and now he is probably headed
elsewhere. Miami could sign another free agent along with KD but they would
still be a year away. And at that point, Russ would again be under pressure to
join up. Why bother? And two years from now, are they any better than Golden
State or Cleveland?
Minnesota and Washington make this list only for the obvious
reasons. Minnesota is an up-and-coming team with an exciting lineup and some
cap room. But there is no way KD is leaving what he has in OKC to join a team
in Minnesota that is reminiscent of what he had in OKC a few years ago. And
Washington may have been a possible destination for KD as a return home at one
point but that talk seems to have died down. New coach Scott Brooks may
actually be the third-best player on this team, behind Bradley Beal and John
Wall. KD would help them … make the playoffs. This is not a title-chasing
destination, or as KD describes it – a “basketball decision.”
New York has suddenly made its way into the conversation due
to the trade for Rose. But he is a former MVP with bum legs and not much of a
history as a guy who leads teams to anything. He is a much lighter version of
Russ. And Carmelo would still want his shots. They have the money but as of
now, the roster isn’t going to appeal to anyone. And there is still that
annoying “we must use the triangle offense” philosophy that comes with playing
under the watchful eyes of Phil Jackson.
San Antonio is also a team that has been named as a likely
contender. However, they ventured out into the major free agent market for the
first time this past off-season when they signed LaMarcus Aldridge, who all but
disappeared against KD and the Thunder down the stretch of the playoff series.
And this is a team that downplays the star system the same way Dean Smith held
back Michael Jordan during his college years at North Carolina.
And folks, the winner is – Oklahoma City.
The Thunder would be the best place for KD to go even if he
didn’t already play for them. With Russell Westbrook in place for at least one
more season and a core of players who have proven they are on the verge of
being the best team in the NBA, KD would have to be ill-advised to sign with
anyone else. Even if it is just for one more season, there is no logical reason
not to see what life would be like with the new group from Orlando combined
with the players KD has already built a rapport with. And just ask LeBron what
it is like to try to build instant chemistry with a team. Both times he has
left to chase a title, his first season ended as a loser.
KD has a chance to establish a legacy by leading his team to
a title. That dream only exists by staying in Oklahoma City.
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