Kevin Durant will reportedly not be meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers during his magical mystery free agency tour, ESPN’s Chris Broussard reports.
Despite their hopes, Lakers will not get a meeting with KD, sources say.
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) June 29, 2016
Really, this shouldn’t be a shocking revelation.
The Lakers, even if they do land their top target, Hassan Whiteside, aren’t likely to be a contending team in the west for at least a couple of years. Rookie head coach Luke Walton will be working with a young roster in need of seasoning, and it doesn’t seem like Durant is interested in baby-sitting at this point in his career.
Instead, it’s being reported by Marc Stein and Broussard that Durant will be visiting with a couple of other Western Conference powerhouses first during free agency.
Also @chris_broussard reports Durant is meeting first Friday with Golden State; sources tell me San Antonio is currently booked for Saturday
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 29, 2016
Both the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs seem like they’d have a legitimate shot at landing Durant. Of all his choices, Golden State would appear to be the best fit for Durant, if he doesn’t choose to remain with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Interestingly, Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this week that NBA teams are all operating under the assumption that Durant will actually return to OKC for one more season. In his estimation, teams bringing him in for interviews are all setting up the framework for 2017.
If he does make the move to leave the Thunder, Durant is might prefer signing a long-term deal (more on that here), whereas if he stays in Oklahoma City he’s expected to sign a one-year deal with a one-year player option.
The Lakers may get a chance to land Durant at some point, but it seems clear they aren’t in his scope of vision as a viable contender at this time.