The Kevin Durant free agent race has already started in earnest with intense speculation from the media a year out of summer 2016 and teams like the Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, NY Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets all could chase the star, although a return to the Oklahoma City Thunder is most likely.
Durant has made comments about 2016 already and he said that he knows tons of rumors are going to come out regarding his plans. Durant said to CBS Sports over the summer that he has "two people" that he "trusts" when talking about his career and his life and that if any rumors from "sources" come out, it's likely false. Durant added that unless things come from his advisors, Charlie Bell and Rich Kleiman, or himself, "it's not true."
Even with Durant saying that, it's highly likely that numerous stories will come out between now and next summer regarding what Durant will do. Durant said his main focus this season is staying healthy, as he had to deal with foot surgery last season and played in just 27 games. The teams that are mentioned the most regarding Durant are the Washington Wizards, Miami Heat and a mix between the Mavericks/Knicks/Lakers.
The Wizards are the hometown story and while the team hasn't outwardly said they are going to chase Durant, they have been setting themselves up to have cap space in 2016. The Mavs, Lakers and Knicks are mentioned because they all have money and could make major moves because of their owners, but those are unlikely options for Durant at this point. The Miami Heat once brought in an MVP player in LeBron James and many are expecting the team to at least try to woo Durant this summer.
According to Zach Lowe at Grantland, the Miami Heat are expected to make a run at Durant next summer even with the team needing to sign Hassan Whiteside to a contract. Lowe writes that Pat Riley likes to "get stars" and with the team potentially having over $40 million in cap space, Durant could be a realistic target. Lowe speculates that if the team gets rid of Josh McRoberts they can clear around $45 million in camp space, which leaves room for a max salary of $25 million, which is what Durant would be getting.
Lowe writes that while Miami may not land Durant, expect Riley to "set yo Miami to make a run" at signing the free agent. Dwyane Wade and the team could have another tough negotiation, but if it means Durant is coming to South Beach, Wade could be receptive to a pay cut. For what it's worth, Ken Berger at CBS Sports "informally polled" a number of league executives at the NBA Summer League this offseason and the consensus was that Durant will end up staying in Oklahoma City. If Durant stays healthy and the team makes the playoffs again, Durant staying will seem even more likely.
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