NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant ‘Intriguing Possibility’ For LA Lakers In Free Agency, Per ‘Bleacher Report’
The Los Angeles Lakers continue to struggle in the second half of the 2018-19 NBA season. After earning their third consecutive losses against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night at Staples Center, most people are no longer expecting the Lakers to earn a spot in the Western Conference playoffs. The Lakers still have 18 regular season games left, but with their current performance, they will likely be needing a huge miracle to reach the postseason.
As of now, the Lakers’ fans must be starting to accept the fact that they will be missing the playoffs for the sixth straight year. They must be hoping that Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka could make moves that could legitimize their chance of winning the NBA championship title next season. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report recently discussed how the outcome of the 2018-19 NBA season will affect the Lakers’ chances of acquiring a second superstar to pair with LeBron James next summer.
Pincus also gave a list of incoming free agent superstars who the Lakers could chase in the 2019 NBA free agency. According to Pincus, among the “intriguing possibility” for the Lakers is Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors.
“Durant is another intriguing possibility, and while no one player should be considered a favorite to choose the Lakers, Johnson is betting that one will.”
KD thinks the C’s will be fine come playoffs https://t.co/U1MI8fw99X
— Crazy Frog (@FrogmansWorld) March 5, 2019
Durant has a player option on his current contract that will enable him to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019. Though he hasn’t shown any indication that he will be leaving Golden State, Durant also didn’t give the Warriors any assurance that he intends to stay beyond the 2018-19 NBA season. Since the 2018 NBA offseason, Durant has been frequently linked to the Lakers.
During the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, LeBron James became the center of controversy after he picked players who are set to become free agents after the season. As the team captain, James was given the opportunity to select players who would help him beat Team Giannis. For the second straight year, James used the No. 1 pick to draft Kevin Durant, proving how much he wanted the Warriors superstar to be his teammate.
Successfully pairing LeBron James and Kevin Durant will undeniably make the Lakers a legitimate playoff contender in the Western Conference. In order to strengthen their chance of winning an NBA championship title, the Lakers may also consider resuming their trade talks with the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire All-Star center Anthony Davis next summer.
