Both the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors are of the few teams that don’t have the cap space to sign Durant outright. The report states that the meetings are expected to take place in NY starting Friday.
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(Reuters/Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30, right) is congratulated by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) after a game. The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are expected to pursue Durant. On July 1st Durant will officially become a free agent, which allows him to sign with any team he chooses. As one of the top scoring threats in all of basketball, Durant has led the NBA in scoring four times. One of the names that has been brought up because of a superb contract-year performance is Nicolas Batum, of the Charlotte Hornets this season, and the Portland Trail Blazers previously. The franchise has masterfully cultivated the relationship between the star and the team and they have built a contender around him.
But make no mistake, there’s no shortage of positives surrounding this Celtics team.
With rim protection and perimeter shooting ranking as the Lakers’ foremost areas of concern heading into the open market, sources told ESPN.com that Whiteside has emerged as a priority target for L.A. Even the Toronto Raptors, who finished with an outstanding record of 56-26 last season, are in a tier below the top Western Conference teams.
Like LeBron, Durant just needs to get that first title-and although he’s gotten close in Oklahoma City, The Thunder just haven’t been able to cross the finish line. All Sean Marks has said publicly about free agency is, “We know who we’re targeting out there and we’ll see where it goes”.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob, without addressing Durant specifically so as not to violate league rules that prohibit such discussion before July 1, said Sunday night on his way out of Oracle Arena: “All I can say is that I will be very aggressive”.
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According to Wojnarowski, Durant’s public and private criteria for the free-agent selection process is heavily tied to the chance to win titles immediately.
