The Thunder met with Durant a final time in The Hamptons on Sunday night, given a last word before Durant absorbed it all and slept on those thoughts.
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But if Durant bolts for the Warriors, he not only forms a superteam but knocks the Thunder from contention, carving out a simpler path for himself to a coveted ring. But the Celtics, make no mistake, made all the right kind of noise in their biggest free agency moment.
The Warriors felt they had good chemistry with Durant, which definitely confirmed everything they’d sensed going into this process, but, as previously reported by ESPN’s Chris Broussard, Durant was non-committal about his future. The Warriors have built not just a championship team, but a workplace and a style of play that makes playing there seem more fun than playing anywhere else.
It was assumed that Horford would demand the maximum salary (or something close to it) and one of the projected salary cap clearing moves was to trade Enes Kanter. Without Barnes, Warriors need to have Kevin Durant.
-Also, by tacitly letting other teams know that they intend to match any Barnes offer (if they don’t get Durant), the Warriors might also be severely cutting down the outside interest level.
Whenever you have a chance to acquire a top 3 player in the world, you go for it.
According to ESPN, Durant has whittled the options down to two: the incumbent Thunder and the rival Warriors.
Said another colleague: “It’s going to take some sweet-talking to get him to pass up all the money he can get by staying in OKC”.
It’d be poetic if Durant announced that he’d sign with the Celtics on Monday, July 4 after Wyc Grousbeck suggested there’d be “fireworks” just a few years ago. Even if they were to sign him, the Heat have a ton of uncertainty hovering around. Without one or either of them, Durant signing with the Miami Heat is a step backwards.
While inside National Basketball Association circles believe that Durant will likely stay with Oklahoma City for at least one more year, it seems that Boston is making the right moves to try to catch the biggest free agent this year.
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Part of the pitch by the Celtics was having Tom Brady convince Durant about how great and special it is to play in Boston. With Durant back in the fold, they remain contenders. Kevin Durant, you are on the clock.
