NBA Trade Rumors: Which Team Will Kevin Durant Choose After Leaving Oklahoma Thunder?
Latest roundups from NBA rumor mills suggest a free agent Kevin Durant jumping board to another team in the professional North American league.
There are speculations that he wants to find a team where he can build a core team around him or simply searching for better pastures elsewhere. Whatever it is, the forthcoming free agency season gives a large wiggle room for trade rumors.
Durant's current team, the Oklahoma City Thunder is now placed at Western Conference's third spot with 52 wins and 27 losses jut behind its top one and top two rivals, the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs respectively. With summer looming on the horizon, Durant is not short of NBA options.
As reported by Lakers Nation, former Laker stalwart and NBA analyst Shaquille O'Neal has reasons to believe that the enigmatic Durant will have plenty of reasons to sign-in with the purple and gold team this free agency season now that Kobe Bryant is out of the picture. This gives the NBA superstar forward the opportunity to lead and build a core group mainly composed of promising upstart talents like D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle.
On top of such plausible scenario is LA Lakers' $60 million cap space along with top three overall draft pick, and diamond-in-the-rough young players that need polishing to bring out their full potential. Also another rumor sprang this week of a possible hiring of former Thunder head coach and 2010 Coach of the Year awardee Scott Brooks whose expertise mainly lies in rebuilding young core players for championship fit after Byron Scotts' lackluster record this season triggers speculation of his departure from Lakers.
"Brooks, according to people close to the 2010 NBA Coach of the Year, has interest in a position with the Lakers should it become available. A number of teams are expected to pursue Kevin Durant's former coach (and Durant himself), including the Washington Wizards," wrote Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
What if the Thunder nabs the NBA Title this year?
The debate over Durant transferring elsewhere will still be influenced by the ongoing development in the playoffs and the finals. If the former MVP leads Thunder to a triumphant championship finish, moving on to another team will increasingly become less possible.
"[The Thunder] win it all, he can't leave, in my opinion. But if they don't, it might be time for a change," said Durant's ex-teammate Kendrick Perkin in a recent interview as quoted by Cross Map.
