Kevin Durant is unlikely to sign with the Wizards this summer because he doesn’t want to deal with the pressure of being surrounded by family, friends and hangers-on from his native Washington, friends of his tell Chris Mannix of The Vertical. Instead, the Warriors and Spurs will be in the mix for him with the Celtics a darkhorse, Mannix writes, reiterating his report from March, when he also cited Golden State, San Antonio and Boston.
Durant’s lack of fondness for the Wizards doesn’t have to do with Scott Brooks, who’s reportedly agreed to become the team’s next coach, as Mannix details, and indeed, Durant made a point of praising the former Thunder coach last week. The one-time MVP has largely been mum over the years about the possibility of joining the Wizards, despite rampant speculation, and he downplayed the idea when asked about it in 2014, as Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman notes.
Still, the Wizards will encourage Brooks to retain assistant coach David Atkins, who was a high school assistant coach for Durant, as TNT’s David Aldridge hears (Twitter link), and they’ll nonetheless make their long-planned effort to sign Durant this summer, according to Mannix. The Warriors instead have appeared to be significant front-runners to land the four-time scoring champ should he decide to leave the Thunder, as The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in February, though Mannix puts Golden State on equal footing with the Spurs in his latest report. It was widely believed the Celtics would move onto Durant’s radar, Mannix wrote last month, and the latest dispatch from the scribe who also works for CSN New England suggests that Boston would be Durant’s top Eastern Conference choice if he wants to escape the brutal competition atop the Western Conference.
People around the NBA sense that Durant is “very much in play” and that a decent chance exists he’ll leave Oklahoma City, as Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck said recently, though Durant’s mother this week cited his loyalty to the Thunder, at least in terms of maintaining focus on the playoffs.
I can totally understand him not wanting to come to LA but if he did I think it would be huge with their draft pick this year and hopefully they sign a Center as well. They do those two things I do belief it would turn things around quickly for the Lakers. I don’t follow college so I was wondering if anyone can tell me if there is a good center in this draft? I truly hope they either trade it cut Nick Young also. He’s a huge headache and too much off the court
Thon Maker
He wants to win, not help rebuild a franchise
Kevin Durant wants to be on a winning team, and there are a few teams that would want Durant. Mavericks would be one of them along with Golden State, OKC, and others. I don’t think that Durant wants to go to Washington to play for the wizards, because that’s his hometown and I feel like he doesn’t want to be pressured. If he goes back to OKC, then he is going have to be the second fiddle along with Westbrook and I’m sure that’s not what Durant wants. He wants to have the ball in his hands and make things happen. LeBron fits in that same boat. If both of them leave their respective teams (which I highly doubt it), then both will hit the market and almost every team will go after them. If both of them played together then it would be the best duo in the NBA. Mavericks would like to have star players around Dirk when he retires. If Mark Cuban signs both Kevin Durant and LeBron James, then maybe Dirk can teach both of them that one legged fade that he does. Dirk would likely go on the bench if both KD and LeBron are in Dallas together. And Dirk has said that he would do everything it takes to get this team back into the playoffs. Your looking at a lineup for next season and beyond:
Deron Williams (assuming he resigns back)
Wesley Matthews (reduce his contract a little)
LeBron James (give him a 4 year $60 mill)
Kevin Durant (give him a contract 4 year $60)
Dwight Howard (unless he starts being greedy)
That’s just my theory here.
This isn’t 2K….
Of course it isnt why would I say it is? Its not but like I said before realistically the Mavericks probably will try to go after the big cheese of KD and LeBron but will failed like always.
lol love that reply and why would you want kd and obj on same team both are smalls and i like em compitaing.
Because they would be the best duo in the NBA and hopefully if they play together Durant will move the the four and LeBron stays in the three that’s why I think somebody will sign both of them on the same team. Washington won’t sign Durant or LeBron. Dallas might sign them but they will failed. Warriors can’t because they have Steph. Cleveland could sign them but they don’t have that kind of money. So who in the NBA would sign both LeBron and KD on the same team?
Dallas can’t, they have 61 mill to the cap next year. They already have 2 max contracts. The only team with cap space and the best chance for both is Boston.
I can’t see both Lebron and Durant on the same team. Lebron can play 1, 2, 3 or 4. Durant can play 3 or 4.
What are you smoking? It must be some goo stuff to give you dreams like that!