NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant Could Leave GSW For ‘Shiniest Vessel Sailing The Seas,’ Reports ‘NJ Advance Media’
Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant is set to decline his player option for the 2018-19 NBA season to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. However, the 29-year-old small forward made it clear that he doesn’t have plans to test the free agency market but only to restructure his contract with the Warriors, per ESPN. Still, rumors are surfacing that Durant may leave the Warriors for a better NBA team.
According to Chris Sheridan of NJ Advance Media, the “vicious” Western Conference could force Kevin Durant to join an Eastern Conference team. A team, who Sheridan believes, that will be ruling the league for the next decade – the Philadelphia 76ers.
“He signed with the Warriors at a discount, and he has already said he will decline his player option but plans to continue to play in Oakland. So it should be a moot point. But then there’s this: The Western Conference is vicious. The Eastern Conference will have one good team for the next decade. In Durant’s case, it would not be unprecedented for him to hitch his boat to the shiniest vessel sailing the seas.”
The Sixers, led by two No. 1 overall picks, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, and All-Star center Joel Embiid, are currently one of the most promising teams in the league. After years of tanking, the Sixers have finally made it once again to the playoffs, and most people believe they are only one superstar away from completing the “Process.”
The Sixers will surely love the idea of getting the service of Kevin Durant once he decides to end his stint in Golden State. As Sheridan noted, Philly’s potential acquisition of KD is like upgrading a Honda Civic to Ferrari. Aside from a promising core to boast, the Sixers also have enough salary cap space to give Durant a decent deal.
According to David Berri of Forbes, Durant and the Warriors may argue regarding the type contract he will sign in the upcoming offseason. Golden State won’t be paying him for what he has done for the team. It will be based on what how he can help the team in the future. Durant is already 29, and Berri believes players’ performance declines when they reach the age of 30.
Being buried deep in the luxury tax hell and the need to re-sign some core players the following year could force the Warriors to ask Durant to take a discount once again or sign a short-term deal. The inability to reach an agreement may lead for both parties to part ways, which could give the Sixers to chance to steal Durant from the Warriors.
Like LeBron James, Kevin Durant is also aiming to win multiple NBA championship titles and be considered as one of the best players who ever played the game. Teaming up Simmons, Embiid, and Fultz could make his dream possible, and there is no doubt that the Sixers will rule the Eastern Conference and even the entire league for the years to come.
