Kevin Durant Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Durant To Make Decision Via Instagram

June 30th, 2019 at 2:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 30, 2:37pm: Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (link), Durant will announce his free agent decision tonight on Instagram, via his “The Boardroom” platform.

JUNE 28, 8:50pm: Kevin Durant is planning to speak with the Nets, Clippers and Knicks as well as the Warriors when free agency begins on Sunday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Durant probably won’t make a quick commitment. His decision-making process is expected to extend well into next week, according to Wojnarowski.

There are no surprises on Durant’s list. Both New York teams have been clearing cap space for years in order to pursue high-level free agents. The Clippers have taken the same approach the past two seasons, though they’ve been more often linked to Kawhi Leonard.

The process could be somewhat more informal than the last time Durant shopped himself in free agency during the summer of 2016. Durant is in New York after undergoing surgery on his torn Achilles tendon and plans to talk to teams there, Wojnarowski continues. He’ll conduct some combination of face-to-face meetings and other forms of communication with assistance from business manager Rich Kleiman.

Durant formally declined his $31.5M player option this week to become an unrestricted free agent. The Warriors are planning to offer him a five-year, $221MM max contract, while other teams can offer a four-year, $164MM deal.

Durant is expected to miss all of next season as he recovers from the injury suffered during the Finals.

Steph Curry To Attend Warriors’ Meeting With Kevin Durant

June 29th, 2019 at 3:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Stephen Curry will attend the Warriors‘ meeting with Kevin Durant, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic hears. GM Bob Myers will sit down with Durant in New York and attempt to convince the former MVP to stay with the team.

Curry had been on an Under Armour tour in Asia but he is now on his way to the United States. Curry is expected to speak with Durant prior to the official meeting.

The point guard was at the team’s meeting with Durant three years ago when they successfully pitched the Maryland-native to come to Golden State. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were also there in 2016, but neither will be present in person this time around. Thompson is preparing to undergo surgery on his own ACL (not to mention his own free agency) but he will join the pitch via FaceTime, Thompson tweets. Green has already visited Durant in NYC this summer.

Durant’s decision in 2016 hinged on Curry wanting him there. The former no. 8 overall pick assured Durant that he did and envisioned the two winning multiple championships together. The Warriors won two titles with the pairing and came close to a third, losing in this year’s NBA Finals to the Raptors.

Durant plans to speak with the Clippers, Nets, and Knicks in addition to the Warriors. It’s unlikely Durant makes a quick decision.

Durant, Kawhi Reportedly Discussing Playing Together

June 29th, 2019 at 10:45am CST by marksuleymanov

With free agency set to open on Sunday, the top two available players, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant, have discussed scenarios in which they could play together, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

As Wojnarowski notes, if the two stars decide they want to team up, the two likeliest possibilities would be the Knicks or Clippers. The Knicks have the cap room necessary to offer both players maximum-salary contracts. The Clippers would have to do a little work to get there, but have a path if they can find a taker for Danilo Gallinari‘s expiring $22.6MM contract.

The Nets, Lakers, Warriors, and Raptors are among the other teams believed to be in pursuit of either Leonard or Durant. However, Golden State and Toronto could only re-sign their own respective stars, the Lakers only have room to sign one top free agent, and the Nets are believed to be zeroed in on Kyrie Irving, which would leave them with enough cap space for just one additional star.

Before Durant went down with a calf injury – and then an Achilles tear – in this year’s playoffs, he and Leonard were being discussed as the NBA’s top two players. Although KD is expected to miss the entire 2019/20 season as he recovers from his Achilles injury, a long-term pairing of Durant and Leonard could turn any franchise into a perennial championship contender.

ESPN’s report represents the second time today we’ve heard about the possibility of Durant and Leonard teaming up. Shams Charania of The Athletic wrote earlier this morning of a belief that KD had considered the possibility of joining forces with Kawhi, though Charania’s report gave no indication of how Leonard felt about the idea.

As we detailed this morning, Leonard’s free agency had long been viewed as a two-way race between the Raptors and Clippers, but that’s no longer the case, with the Lakers and Knicks both trying to get into the mix. Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote today about the pitch that LeBron James intends to make to Kawhi.

Many scenarios appear to remain in play for this summer’s top free agents. According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, Leonard is expected to meet with the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Raptors once free agency opens, while Durant plans to talk to the Clippers, Knicks, Nets, and Warriors.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Charania’s Latest: Nets, D-Lo, Durant, Livingston, More

June 29th, 2019 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Kyrie Irving remains “fully focused” on a potential deal with the Nets, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who says Brooklyn’s goal is to sign the trio of Irving, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Jordan. If they can get Irving but Durant heads elsewhere, the Nets could shift their focus to players like Tobias Harris or Julius Randle, Charania writes.

As for D’Angelo Russell, league sources tell Charania that the expectation is the Nets will either renounce D-Lo’s rights or try to complete a sign-and-trade deal that sends him elsewhere. A sign-and-trade would be complicated, since Brooklyn may prefer to use its cap room on free agents rather than trade pieces in return for Russell.

Here’s more from Charania:

Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers is tentatively scheduled to travel to New York this weekend to meet with Kevin Durant and his inner circle, league sources tell Charania. Durant is also expected to talk to the Knicks, Nets, and Clippers, though no formal meetings have been set, says Charania, who adds that there’s a belief that KD has considered the possibility of teaming up with Kawhi Leonard.
Shaun Livingston, who originally had a guarantee date of June 30 on his contract, has agreed to push that date back to July 10, reports Charania. Livingston has a partial guarantee of $2MM on his $7.7MM salary, and the Warriors now have more time to decide whether to retain him at that price.
With Kemba Walker appearing likely to sign elsewhere, the Hornets are focusing on other point guards like Terry Rozier, sources tell Charania. It’s not clear if Charlotte believes the mid-level would be enough to land Rozier, or if the team would attempt a sign-and-trade.
The Sixers remain “fully focused” on trying to re-sign Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, according to Charania, who notes that rival teams interested in Butler believe the fifth year Philadelphia can offer will be a major factor for the swingman and agent Bernie Lee. If the 76ers don’t offer that fifth year, it’s possible the market for Butler will open up.
The Knicks have targeted free agent center Robin Lopez as a potential backup for Mitchell Robinson, league sources tell Charania.
The Celtics intend to pursue a big man using their $4.8MM room exception, with Enes Kanter and Kevon Looney among their targets, per Charania.

Kawhi’s Free Agency No Longer Viewed As Two-Team Race

June 29th, 2019 at 8:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are emerging as a legit contender in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times, who tweets that an increasing number of league insiders – as well as oddsmakers in Las Vegas – view the Lakers as a “significant” threat to sign the NBA Finals MVP.

As we relayed on Friday, Leonard’s camp is lining up at least one meeting with the Lakers. That may end up turning into more than one meeting due to the fact that former president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and still-technically-a-Pelican Anthony Davis aren’t permitted to represent the Lakers on a formal basis in a free agent pitch.

Leonard’s free agency has long been viewed by insiders and experts as a two-team race. The Raptors, having just won a title with Leonard leading the way, are still considered a strong contender for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year and are expected to get the final meeting with him next week.

Meanwhile, the Clippers – who will also meet with Kawhi next week – have been regarded all season long as Los Angeles’ biggest threat to recruit Leonard back to his hometown. However, now that the Lakers have created nearly enough space for a maximum-salary offer for Leonard, Stein suggests that the Clippers will have to beat out not just the defending champions but also their cross-town L.A. rivals. According to Stein, the Clippers’ best route to winning over Leonard might be convincing Kevin Durant to choose the Clips as well.

[UPDATE: Durant, Leonard have reportedly discussed playing together]

We still don’t know exactly what Leonard’s thinking, and it’s probably premature to classify the Lakers as the frontrunner to sign him, but it certainly seems as if there are at least three viable landing spots for the star forward, rather than just the two that have been mentioned for much of the season.

Latest On Kevin Durant

June 28th, 2019 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Durant has not yet decided whether he’ll actually take face-to-face meetings with teams when he becomes a free agent on Sunday, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic (via Twitter). But if he does line up meetings with suitors, those discussions will take place in New York, a source tells Aldridge. That’s where Durant underwent his Achilles surgery earlier this month.

The Knicks, long considered one of Durant’s prime suitors, are hoping to get an audience with Durant in New York early in free agency, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. The Knicks’ plan would be to subsequently head west to Los Angeles to meet with Kawhi Leonard. However, neither meeting is set in stone yet.

Here’s more on Durant:

Despite increased rumblings that the Nets are in the lead for Durant, Ian Begley of SNY.tv says that’s not the case. Sources tell Begley that the Nets aren’t the frontrunners or favorites for Durant at the moment. Only Durant and those close to him know if he favors one team over the others at this point, according to Begley, who notes that the Warriors, Knicks, and Clippers are all still believed to be in contention.
The Warriors, who have stayed in contact with KD and business partner Rich Kleiman since the season ended, are prepared to offer Durant a five-year maximum-salary contract worth a projected $221MM, per Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. But if Durant says he wants to go elsewhere, Golden State is hoping he’ll work with the team on a sign-and-trade deal.
When Windhorst first mentioned the sign-and-trade possibility earlier this week, I wrote that such an arrangement would make little sense for Durant’s new team, since the Nets, Knicks, and Clippers all have enough cap room to sign him outright. In his latest report for ESPN.com, Windhorst acknowledges that the Warriors might have to include an asset like a first-round pick to incentivize KD’s new team to work with them. That’s a scenario the Dubs have prepared for, according to Windhorst, since creating a massive trade exception via a Durant sign-and-trade would open up Golden State’s roster options significantly.

Free Agent Rumors: Durant, I. Smith, Diallo, Mavs, More

June 27th, 2019 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

While rumors of Kevin Durant‘s possible departure continue to persist, the Warriors have recently expressed some private optimism about their chances of re-signing the former MVP, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Amick explains, that hope stems from the fact that Golden State is the only team with the ability to make Durant a five-year, $221MM offer. That extra year and money could be a more significant factor with KD recovering from an Achilles tear.

Earlier this week, Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers indicated that the team has formal plans to talk to both Durant and Klay Thompson about new deals, as Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter). Myers also said that Thompson is expected to undergo his ACL surgery later this week.

Here’s more from around the NBA on free agency:

Ish Smith is among the free agent point guards who are on the Timberwolves‘ radar, tweets Darren Wolfson of SKOR North. Wolfson previously identified T.J. McConnell as a target of interest to Minnesota.
Cheick Diallo, who shares an agent with Mavericks star Luka Doncic and Mavs free agent target Patrick Beverley, is a potential fit for Dallas, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Diallo reportedly won’t receive a qualifying offer from New Orleans, so he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.
Speaking of the Mavericks, team owner Mark Cuban downplayed the importance of face-to-face meetings for free agents, as Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News writes. “There’s some players that want a presentation and they want the dog-and-pony show,” Cuban said. “And there’s some players, they don’t care. They have a feel and they just want to ask some questions and you don’t really have to have a meeting to do that. … It really depends on the players. I can give you a long list of players we didn’t have meetings with that we signed, and a lot of teams that didn’t have meetings and they signed people. There’s not a lot of secrets. It’s not like all of a sudden you’re going to say something they didn’t know.”
Although Willie Cauley-Stein‘s agent doesn’t want the Kings to give his client a qualifying offer, it wouldn’t make sense for the club to forgo that QO, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

Knicks Considering Making Play For DeMarcus Cousins

June 27th, 2019 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are weighing the idea of making a “considerable” one-year contract offer to free agent big man DeMarcus Cousins in the event that they miss out on top free agent target Kevin Durant, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter).

As Stein reiterates in a follow-up tweet, the Knicks are widely expected to shift their focus to one- or two-year contracts if they strike out on this year’s elite free agents, a group that consists of Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Kawhi Leonard.

However, it sounds like New York still plans on attempting to field a competitive roster in that scenario, rather than fully relying on its young prospects for a second straight season. As we heard on Wednesday, the Knicks would be seeking “high-level” rotation players who wouldn’t necessarily require a long-term investment. Cousins could fit that bill. Terry Rozier was also named on Wednesday as a possible target.

Cousins, 28, didn’t look like his old self this season after returning from a torn Achilles (and a torn quad later). Still, he has a full offseason to work on getting back to full strength, and even when he’s limited, the big man can be an effective offensive weapon. In 30 games for the Warriors in 2018/19, he averaged 16.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.5 BPG, and 1.3 SPG.

Durant remains the Knicks’ top target, and while there’s no indication yet on which way he’s leaning, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link) said this morning during an appearance on Get Up that the Warriors – who remain confident about their odds of keeping KD – would be interested in exploring a sign-and-trade deal with the Knicks or Nets if Durant decides he wants to go east.

Golden State likely wouldn’t be seeking any assets in that scenario, but could create a giant trade exception in a sign-and-trade, which could be used to acquire someone else. Of course, the Knicks and Nets should both be able to sign KD outright using their cap room, so they’d have little incentive to help out the Warriors, as Windhorst acknowledges.

Knicks Expect To Meet With KD, Kawhi Early In Free Agency

June 26th, 2019 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks expect to have meetings with Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard early in free agency before heading west to Los Angeles to meet with second-tier free agents, according to Frank Isola of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A report earlier today indicated that Durant is officially turning down his 2019/20 player option in order to hit the open market this Sunday. The Warriors, Nets, and Clippers are expected to be among the Knicks’ top competitors for the two-time NBA Finals MVP, who will likely receive long-term, maximum-salary offers from multiple teams.

As for Leonard, his free agency has long been viewed as a two-team race between the Clippers and Raptors, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reiterated during the network’s TV special on Tuesday night (video link). Wojnarowski indicated that Kawhi’s camp is also keeping an eye on the Lakers, though Chris Mannix of SI.com says people close to Leonard are skeptical that he’d join forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Knicks haven’t been mentioned much as a probable landing spot for Leonard, but they’re known to have interest and it appears as if they’ll get their shot to make a pitch.

In other Leonard news, Ian Begley of SNY.tv hears from league sources that multiple teams have expressed interest in adding the duo of Kawhi and Jimmy Butler together in free agency. Leonard isn’t believed to be seeking a team-up with another free agent, but league sources tell Begley that there are clubs who believe that playing together would appeal to the two star forwards.

The list of teams that could realistically acquire two maximum-salary free agents is slim. Begley doesn’t specifically identify any of the clubs that have interest in a Leonard/Butler pairing, but the Knicks have the cap room, so it’s possible they’ve discussed the possibility as an alternative to Durant.

The Clippers and Sixers are among the other teams that might realistically have a path to signing both players, though both clubs would have to make additional moves to create the necessary cap space. The Nets could easily open up enough room, but have been linked more strongly to Kyrie Irving and Durant than Leonard and/or Butler.

Kevin Durant Declining 2019/20 Player Option

June 26th, 2019 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Kevin Durant will decline his team option for the 2019/20 season and will become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The option would have paid Durant a salary worth $31.5MM, per Basketball Insiders.

While there was some speculation after Durant suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals that picking up his option could become a more viable path, he was always expected to turn it down. Even in the wake of his Achilles tear, which is expected to sideline him for all of the 2019/20 season, KD figures to field multiple long-term, maximum-salary offers on the open market.

Currently, Durant and business manager Rich Kleiman are in New York evaluating their options for free agency, per Wojnarowski. Woj writes that Durant’s camp is keeping the process private, while Anthony Slater of The Athletic hears from sources that KD has yet to make a final decision on where he wants to continue his NBA career.

The Warriors can – and likely will – offer Durant a five-year contract worth a projected $221MM+. Although there have been some rumblings that the circumstances surrounding Durant’s calf and Achilles injuries resulted in a breakdown in trust between him and the Warriors, that doesn’t appear to be the case, according to Wojnarowski. Woj said on ESPN’s free agency special on Tuesday night that the Warriors and KD’s camp have continued to communicate since the injury (Twitter link via Sagar Trika).

Other contenders for Durant will be limited to four-year offers worth up to about $164MM. The Nets and Knicks are viewed as the most likely outside suitors for the two-time Finals MVP, and Chris Mannix of SI.com writes that both teams are expected to offer max deals. The Mavericks will try to get into the mix, per Mannix, though that’s a longer shot. The Clippers are also said to have interest in Durant.

There has been talk for much of the year about the possibility of good friends Durant and Kyrie Irving teaming up for one of the New York teams. Irving is widely believed to be leaning toward signing with the Nets, but it’s not clear if Durant is willing to join him in Brooklyn. The Knicks have been linked more frequently to the All-NBA forward, and they’d still be interested in signing him as a “solo act,” a league source tells Mannix.

Despite some speculation that the Warriors might consider a “delayed sign-and-trade” agreement with Durant in order to get him his full five-year max without necessarily locking him into a long-term stay in the Bay Area, that’s not a concept being seriously explored by Golden State, says Slater. As Slater points out, it would be difficult and awkward and may be viewed as circumvention of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Durant will be able to start talking to teams to schedule meetings as of 6:00pm eastern time on June 29, and could begin taken those meetings – or could reach an agreement with a team – as soon as 6:00pm ET on June 30.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.