NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant Leaving Oklahoma City Thunder For Los Angeles Lakers

NBA rumors are swirling around Kevin Durant. Durant, a former MVP, will become an unrestricted free agent this upcoming summer. Many teams will be going after Durant this offseason. According to Lakers Nation, the Los Angeles Lakers will be one of those teams to go after the former Texas Longhorns star. The franchise is looking to rebuild right away, so acquiring a talent like Durant would help turn the team around rather quickly.

Kobe Bryant will be retiring at the end of the season. The Los Angeles Lakers will now be looking for someone who will be able to take the torch and become the next franchise superstar. D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle haven’t shown the ability or leadership to show that they can replace Bryant. Kevin Durant could very well be the next guy for the Lakers. Durant is a player who can help turn around a franchise right away.

The Los Angeles Lakers will be in need of signing some star power this upcoming offseason. The Lakers already have a solid group of young talent they are building around. Los Angeles could possibly have a high pick in the upcoming NBA Draft this June. If the Lakers get the number one overall pick this summer, they could get Ben Simmons. Having Simmons, D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Jordan Clarkson might be enough to pique the interest of Kevin Durant.

If the Los Angeles Lakers do manage to get Kevin Durant this upcoming summer. Signing Durant will help gain a lot of attention from not only just the media but players also. Playing with Durant should attract interest from other NBA free agents in joining up together to form a super team. DeMar DeRozan might be interested in joining Durant to chase an NBA Championship. Joining Durant might not be the only reason DeRozan joins up with Lakers. He went to school at USC. Another player Los Angeles could look at bringing in could be Pau Gasol, a former Lakers. Along with Durant, DeRozan, and the young core of talent, they should have enough talent to compete for a title. That alone should be able to bring in Gasol for a cheap price.

The main question that will come up if the Los Angeles Lakers do manage to sign Kevin Durant will be chemistry. How will Durant be able to mesh with Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell? Both players are very immature. That alone should be very concerning for Durant. He should be able to handle it.

With the addition of Kevin Durant, the Los Angeles Lakers will be able to use a variety of different lineups. Durant can play both forward positions and could also be the primary ball handler for the team on the floor. The Lakers could also go small by playing Julius Randle at the center position and Durant at the power forward.

Signing Kevin Durant will not only help the Los Angeles Lakers this year, but also for future free agents. One potential free agent they could interest in the next year will be Russell Westbrook. Durant and Westbrook, who currently play for the Oklahoma City Thunder, could possibly be able to reunite if Durant does end up joining the Lakers.

Kevin Durant will be high on the Los Angeles Lakers radar this summer to take the torch from Kobe Bryant. Signing Durant, the Lakers will be able to attract more players around the league to come join the team. Bringing Durant in could also possibly bring in Russell Westbrook in the near future. The main concern with coming to Los Angeles will be the questions of immaturity surrounding D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. Overall the young core of talent and the possibility of playing along side of Ben Simmons could be enough to entice Durant into joining the Lakers.