Kevin Durant’s highly anticipated free agency decision will be made on Monday, according to USA Today, providing Thunder fans extreme angst as they awake for Independence Day. Rumor has it that Durant is nearly convinced to sign with the Golden State Warriors but until he declares, many National Basketball Association teams and players are hesitant to make their own commitments.
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After years of speculation, Kevin Durant is officially leaving Oklahoma City as a free agent and will sign with the Golden State Warriors. “That’s what they have, a great coach that can put them in positions to utilize all their individual strengths and make them come together as a team”, Durant said during their second round playoff series versus the San Antonio Spurs.
I would also count Boston as a remaining contender here especially after the Celtics agreed to terms with Al Horford, a player Durant was hoping would join him in Oklahoma City.
An argument for the Warriors: Durant would have the opportunity to not just win next season, but compete for titles for years.
Adding Durant to the Warriors would give the team the last three MVPs, teaming him with back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry as well as All-Stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
The Golden State Warriors are sitting in a very intriguing position as the Kevin Durant sweepstakes approaches a conclusion. Nine years in, this is the first time Durant had complete freedom to decide his fate.
According to Royce Young of ESPN, Durant’s decision is down to the Thunder and Warriors. These losses illuminate the difficulty the team is facing to resign past players, who were instrumental in the club winning 48 games previous year, before earning the Eastern Conference’s 3-seed, during the 2016 NBA Playoffs. West told the 2014 MVP that the hard shots he takes in Oklahoma City will be easier with the Warriors. West reportedly listed down the reasons why Durant would be a ideal fit with the Warriors. It’s easy to dismiss the spike as an anomaly whose greatest harm is to disproportionately reward a few dozen players who happened to be free agents at the right time. It also doesn’t help that the Thunder suffered their own collapse against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
The rest of Durant’s skill-set would be more appreciated. Durant hasn’t just made himself into one of the most coveted players in the league.
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By signing Durant, the Heat will likely continue this trend into the upcoming 2016-17 season, while relying on the 27-year-old’s ability to guarantee daily service in South Beach.
