NBA Rumors: The NBA Needs Kevin Durant To Sign With The Los Angeles Lakers

NBA Rumors: With whispers of the possibility, here’s why the NBA needs Kevin Durant to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers next summer

They say that the big market NBA is gone, that you don’t need the big market teams relevant for the NBA to flourish. They also say that parity in the NBA is also better. And that super teams are bad for the league overall.

They are all wrong.

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The NBA was built on the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. During the height of its popularity, all of those teams held some type of relevance. That, for the most part, isn’t the case today. And while the NBA isn’t exactly seeing the impact of that – the league is fresh off its most viewed NBA Finals since the days of Michael Jordan – it’s also not seeing the other side of that possibility. The potential explosion rate the sport would be at right now if the Knicks and Lakers were fighting for the NBA crown.

Sure, stories like the Golden State Warriors winning its first NBA Championship in 40 years is great. You know what would’ve been a better story? Watching the Knicks beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Why? It’s simple. Both of those teams are polarizing – fans will either love OR hate. No middle ground.

That isn’t the case with a team like the Warriors – and I don’t mean to pile on. But, how could anyone hate the Warriors? They’re a bunch of good, sweet-shooting guards with one loud talker. And even he’s a lovable underdog.

Is there even a polarizing team in the NBA right now?

Warriors? Nope.

Spurs? Nope.

Thunder? Nope.

Cavs? Nope.

The closest thing to that was the Miami Heat with LeBron James, but now that he’s back in Cleveland that hatred and polarization that he created dissipated. Everyone loves him now – apart from the few fans in Miami that may or may not still hold resentment.

That needs to change. If the NBA is serious about taking on the NFL as “America’s sport,” the only way that can begin to happen is with the Lakers, Celtics or Knicks returning to relevance. And it’s pretty simple. The only real possibility of that happening involves Kevin Durant next summer.

He needs to take his talents to Hollywood. Which, apparently, could be a strong possibility.

On ESPN’s “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith said that he has sources telling him that Durant’s preferred landing spot, if he would indeed leave the Oklahoma City Thunder next summer, would be with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"[via BSO]“Regardless of how senseless it may (sound), in one breath I’m hearing that if Kevin Durant doesn’t stay in Oklahoma City, L.A. is his primary objective and landing spot as opposed to South Beach or even his home of Washington, D.C.,” Smith said."

For the record, Smith also said that he’s hearing there’s a possibility that Durant could sign with Knicks, too.

Despite how outlandish this report may sound, did anyone really believe LeBron James would be taking his talents to South Beach until he actually spewed those words out of his mouth?