Can the Lakers Lure Kevin Durant? (Pincus Read Basketball Insiders)

The entire year before Lebron went to Miami, all the talk was about New York. Nobody even discussed Miami as a serious option until like a week before it happened if I recall correctly.

If the young guys keep playing well and we keep our draft pick, screw the narrative, we're a very attractive free agent destination. Then if things happen a certain way in the playoffs (maybe GSW repeats with Barnes as a big contributer and decides to keep the team together, maybe OKC gets upset in the first round and Durant get pissed) why wouldn't Durant consider us?

 

We're a 13 win team. Miami was at least still a decent team. They had a superstar in his prime in D-Wade. We're neither. Things can change quickly. If we could acquire another star, but as of right now I don't see him giving it that much consideration. He's what 28? Never won a title. It's hard to see a guy who has never won a title come to a rebuilding team that is still probably at least 2 years away from competing for a championship.

 

Lebron and Bosh did not go to Miami because they were a decent team the year before lol. Miami pretty much got rid of everyone other than Wade just to bring them on. They went there because Miami is a cool place and they had a blank slate in terms of how to build the team.

I'm not saying it's likely Durant comes here, but it's obviously within the realm of possibility so I don't get why people are trying to rule it out already.

 

LeBron and Bosh went to Miami because D-Wade was already there and he was a top five player in the league at that time. We don't have that. What incentive does Durant have to want to come here when we have no star as of yet? He wants to beat Golden State. Everyone does. The only to do that into the near future is to join a team that has a star or two. I just don't see it happening and that's fine we don't need him. All we need is to find a freaking coach and start this rebuild already. I think we'll be able to acquire stars in a couple of years when Russell and Randle develop, but not right now.

 

I'm saying that his incentive is a maximum contract to play basketball in Los Angeles with promising young players on a historically great team with the financial flexibility to bring on more stars.

That is a valid incentive. I'm not saying it's going to outweigh the incentives that other teams offer ... but it might.

Like really, if he decides he wants to lave OKC, and GSW decides they don't want to blow up their team for him, what other options does he have? I'm genuinely asking. I don't know. I'm assuming with the increase in the salary cap, there are going to be a LOT of teams with the cap room to sign him. But of those teams with cap room, I don't know how many of them already have legitimate superstars?

Is he going to New Orleans to team with Anthony Davis? Portland to team with Damian Lillard? The Kings to play with Demarcus Cousins? Like there aren't many "super-teams" out there that he can just slide into. Wherever he goes, I think that team would have to find other pieces to put around him too.

So call me crazy, but I truly think a combination of Russell, Randle, Clarkson, Nance, and Simmons all combined at the price of one max-player, is a more promising building block then any of the other relatively young "superstars" that are even out there. But you're right, that's what I think because I'm a Laker fan and I've watched these young kids play. To an outsider, maybe he just sees our record and automatically dismisses us. I don't know.

 

I think you sort of answered your own question early on: it doesn't make sense for Durant to leave okc unless it's to go to gs. any other move will legitimately shock me. even the gs option would surprise me quite a bit. if I had to lay odds, it would be at 75% okc, 20% gs, 5% every other place combined.

for the lakers to rise out of that group, they'd need to trade for an allstar prior to FA. if the lakers get a star in his prime without giving up Russell, they're suddenly in play for all FAs, imo. but that's a longshot and would almost certainly require trading a top-3 pick.

 

Boston would make some sense for him, in that they would have a lot of cap room for him and someone else and are near the top of a weaker Eastern Conference. Of course if that happens, I'll riot.

 

Exactly. That's precisely why I want to keep the pick this year. You'd have one more asset to add without giving much most of our young talent. A top-3 pick straight across for an impact player or a top 3-pick plus one of the young guys should net you something nice. If you can execute a trade for an All-Star before July 1st, you're looking really, really good.

 

far from a nightmare, but man, that's a lot going right.

i think boston is in the same boat as the lakers, with the caveat that their pick is guaranteed. still, though, given the composition of this draft, #5 won't net you a star. you really need top 3, i think. but yes, boston could make a move or two that makes them an interesting landing spot. as it stands right now, though, i think the lakers have one potential/likely allstar in the fold in russell, which is one more than boston has.