Is free-agent-to-be Kevin Durant coming to meet with an NBA team near you?
Well, no. He’ll be taking the meetings, not going on some free-agency tour. Will your favorite team get face time? That’s the question.
And if you’re a fan of a big-market franchise outside Washington, you’ll probably like the answer, per ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard:
Kevin Durant and his representatives have added free-agency meetings with the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers, a league source confirmed to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.
The three additions join previously reported plans for face-to-face talks with the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Durant is also considering meeting with the New York Knicks but has no plans to talk to his hometown Washington Wizards, the source said.
Sorry New York Knicks fans, this essentially kills that idea that trading for Derrick Rose somehow made this team more attractive to Durant. The Knicks will probably get a meeting in the end. But that doesn’t mean much.
Truth told, these meetings are mere formalities for more than half the list. The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat are all solid destinations, but the real intrigue lies with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, in addition to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Golden State and San Antonio are the only two teams Durant can land with that project as potential upgrades over Oklahoma City. And why would he leave for a worse situation? He probably won’t even leave at all; most still expect him to re-up with the Thunder, perhaps on a one-plus-one deal that allows him to re-explore free agency next year, with Russell Westbrook.
But that’s besides the point. The number of meetings Durant takes is almost irrelevant. Does it mean that he has doubts about Oklahoma City’s future? Maybe. But this is likely more about him exploring the free-agent market for the first time in his career. Remember, he has never been in this situation before. It’s only right that he be thorough and take as many meetings as reasonably possible.
