Kevin Durant will become a free agent in 2016, and plenty of teams – Wizards, Knicks, Lakers, Raptors – have been mentioned as possible destinations.
Of course, the Thunder have a strong shot to re-sign Durant, too.
They might have to fend off another suitor, though – the Warriors.
Mychal Thompson – Klay Thompson’s dad/former NBA player/Los Angeles sportscaster – on ESPN LA (hat tip: Alex Torres of Warriors World):
David Lee’s massive contract expires when Durant hits free agency, and the salary cap will skyrocket. But that doesn’t mean Golden State will have enough cap room to sign Durant.
The Warriors have five players under contract for 2016-17: Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Bogut and Shaun Livingston. They’ll also likely give Draymond Green a max contract this summer. Plus, they have their own first-round pick each of the next two years.
With those eight players to the roster, Golden State projects to have a little less than $11 million in cap room. Durant’s starting salary projects north of $25 million.
It’s not inconceivable the Warriors could create the necessary room, though. Move Livingston and one of the eight-digit players, and Golden State should get there. They’ve been down the road of needing to clear salary to sign a free agent before.
Obviously, at this point, the idea is mostly fantasy. But the thought of Curry and Durant on the same team? As someone who enjoys quality basketball, yes please.