Getty Kevin Durant made a birthday request a bit awkward.
Kevin Durant a Los Angeles Laker next season?
USA Today Sports predicts that that could be a huge possibility.
According to USA Today Sports, it’s possible that Kevin Durant would opt to move to Hollywood and join LeBron James in the Lakers organization after this season.
“But why would Durant leave, especially if the two-time Finals MVP can guide the Warriors to a three-peat? Durant’s recent flap with Draymond Green and an ongoing need to quiet doubters on social media could be major factors.”
Durant, a two-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, is highly considering joining the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2019 , I was told by a league source in September.
Some believe that KD may think differently after an interview with Bleacher’s Report where KD labeled playing with LeBron James as toxic and admitted that the attention LeBron James receives isn’t his fault.
“So much hype comes from being around LeBron from other people,” said Durant.
“He has so many fanboys in the media. Even the beat writers just fawn over him. I’m like, we’re playing basketball here, and it’s not even about basketball at certain points. So I get why anyone wouldn’t want to be in that environment because it’s toxic. Especially when the attention is bullshit attention, fluff. It’s not LeBron’s fault at all; it’s just the fact you have so many groupies in the media that love to hang on every word. Just get out of the way and let us play basketball.”
Homeboy never said he didn’t want to play with LeBron James!
The power of aggregation. Welcome to 2019, ya’ll!
Was this a signal that KD won’t join LeBron James and the Lakers this summer?
“Speaks for the state of the business,” NBA insider Chris Sheridan told me on the Scoop B Radio Podcast.
“There’s a lot of aggregation out there. The way these blogs write their headlines is so that people are going to click on it.”
The Lakers will enter the 2019 free agency period with a ton of roster spots to fill.
Durant signed a two-year, $61.5 million contract with the Warriors and has the option to opt out ahead of the 2019-20 season, per Spotrac.
“LeBron is here for a lot of the same reasons,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said recently.
“This is a LA operation. If you want to expand into entertainment, this is where you do it. You don’t necessarily go to New York.”
If Durant were to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers next offseason, it would leave them a minimum of two years to play together.
“Kevin chases championship, so he’s going to go where it’s a higher chance that he’ll win a championship,” Chris Sheridan also told me last month on the Scoop B Radio Podcast.
“Right now that looks like LA. The Lakers are holding those two max spots. But we don’t know what’s going to come the Lakers way during the trade deadline. There’s guys that want to get out where they are now. Like Kawhi Leonard, might want to go to the Clippers instead of the Lakers. Or might get comfortable in Toronto and say: I like it here. Or he way want to come to New York. He spent the last season in New York when he wasn’t honoring his contract with the Spurs.”
KD joining the Los Angeles Lakers is part of a bigger narrative according to league sources.
The Lakers purposely filled their roster with one-year contracts to maintain their salary cap flexibility for the summer of 2019 where several NBA superstars like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, DeMarcus Cousins, and DeAndre Jordan are expected to become unrestricted free agents.
“The Lakers are gunning for the biggest names,” a source familiar with the Los Angeles Lakers’ thinking told me this fall.
“LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis in LA. It’s all part of the plan.”
If you’re tardy to the party, Los Angeles is looking to trade to acquire Anthony Davis in season this year and seal the deal by an added Durant this offseason.
Will they trade any variation of Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Lonzo Ball to do so?
Davis is a once in a lifetime player. Some would argue that it should be done.
A three-team trade between the Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers that involves Nikola Vucevic was discussed a month ago. I’m told that that deal is still on the table.
“Man if ya’ll thought the league was in trouble before they bout to mess around and have AD KD and Bron all on the same team,” NBA free agent, Jarrett Jack tweeted in November.
Stay tuned!