The jostling for pole position in the Kevin Durant Sweepstakes has begun.
According to a report by Marc Stein of ESPN on Friday, the Warriors, the Spurs, and the incumbent Thunder have officially landed the first three recruiting meetings with Kevin Durant.
Story online soon: Sources say Warriors, Spurs & incumbent Thunder are first three known teams to land recruiting meetings with Kevin Durant
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 25, 2016
We’ve heard rumblings that Durant would prefer the Warriors, who may have a new sense of urgency after losing to the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, if he does wind up leaving Oklahoma City. The Spurs, meanwhile, have appeared serious about a pursuit of Durant for quite some time now, even if they might not have the financial maneuverability to field the most competitive contract offer for the former MVP.
A return to the Thunder still seems like the most likely scenario for Durant. But it’s uncertain where he might see himself fitting into the future of the team after they traded away Serge Ibaka, Durant’s longtime teammate and a core part of Oklahoma City’s identity on both ends of the floor, on draft night (though Durant is reportedly “fine” with Ibaka leaving which should serve to assuage concerns).
Durant himself has gone on the record and said that his free agency destination will be “a basketball decision.” If that’s indeed the case, all three of these teams should ostensibly have a shot at landing the seven-time All Star’s services this summer.
