Once the 2015-16 NBA season officially comes to an end for all 30 teams in the league, all eyes will be on superstar Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant will become an unrestricted free agent as of July 1 with a lot of uncertainty looming about the decision he’ll make this summer.
Durant hasn’t indicated whether he’ll leaving the Thunder in free agency, but all signs point to the one-time NBA MVP testing the market. Durant’s former Thunder teammate and current University of Connecticut head coach, Kevin Ollie, recently sat down for an interview with Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype and was asked about Durant’s immediate future.
Ollie, who maintains a close relationship with the Thunder star, believes Durant will explore his options in free agency this summer. Although options will be considered, Ollie admits Durant’s decision will be all about heart, and that favors Oklahoma City:
Kevin Durant. How do you feel about the possibility that he could leave OKC this summer?
KO: Well, that’s what free agency is all about. I think he’s going to test the waters but at the end of the day, Oklahoma City is something dear to his heart. So it’s going to take a team to really, really do a good job to get him to leave OKC. You try to put yourself in the best position possible, see all the opportunities out there. I know he’s going to make a decision with his heart. I know he’s gonna do that, choose the best situation for his family, the best position to win a championship. And OKC has a great team, I know he loves Russell Westbrook, I know he loves playing in front of the Thunder fans, so it’s going to take a team to do a great recruiting job to get him away from OKC.
Along with the Thunder, Durant will have no shortage of interested teams once he officially hits the open market on July 1. Durant will be the top target for many different teams looking to add a superstar with Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers among the teams expected to make a run at the 27-year-old forward.
Although the Lakers will be an underdog in the Durant sweepstakes, the team’s front office will be determined to shake things up this summer following Kobe Bryant’s retirement. Los Angeles desperately needs another star attraction with Bryant gone, and Durant is an ideal replacement for the 16-time NBA champions.