No one's quite been able to glean any meaningful intel on where Kevin Durant is most likely to sign in free agency. Why? Less than a week from when he can officially begin meeting with suitors, the two-time Finals MVP has yet to eliminate any legitimate contender for his services, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Durant is still considering a number of scenarios in free agency, including a return to Golden State, league sources tell ESPN. The New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers are also believed to be considerations, sources said.
The 3o-year-old will command a maximum contract from the team with which he ultimately signs. The Warriors, due to possessing his Bird Rights, will offer Durant a five-year, $221.3 million deal with a starting salary of $38.2 million. Every other team in the chase can only extend him a four-year, $164.5 million contract that includes the same first-year number.
The most recent murmurs throughout league circles indicated Durant was seriously considering joining Kyrie Irving with the Nets. Their cross-town rival Knicks were assumed the favorite to land him even before the 2018-19 season, but recent reporting suggested they are no longer Durant's likely choice. Back in April, when the Clippers were giving he and the Warriors fits in the first round of the playoffs, rumors swirled that Durant might prefer Los Angeles.
The 10-time All-Star suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during Game 5 of Golden State's NBA Finals loss to the Toronto Raptors, his first on-court action since being sidelined by a calf strain against the Houston Rockets in the second round over a month earlier. It's unclear how the specter of an arduous, nearly year-long rehabilitation process factors into Durant's thinking as it relates to free agency.
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