NBA Rumors: Thanks to disappointing seasons, the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers should forget about signing Kevin Durant
Perhaps throwing an entire season the year before the second biggest free agent in the history of the NBA hits the open market isn’t exactly the smart thing to do.
Which is exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards have done – intentionally or not – this year.
The Lakers, from the start, knew that this was a lost season. They even admitted it during the year, when they said that this year was all about Kobe Bryant. Because of that, mostly because throwing away a year delays the development of the number of young talents that the Lakers have, almost eliminates Los Angeles from the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.
Likewise, the Washington Wizards. Durant’s hometown team didn’t intentionally throw the season away, they just fell into a lost season.
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From the jump, nothing seemed right in Washington. John Wall appeared off in the beginning of the season, Bradley Beal got injured – again – and Randy Wittman continues to operate as a lame duck head coach.
Durant isn’t looking for a rebuilding process. He wants to win. The parallels between him and LeBron James are eerily similar. Both gave their first franchises enough time to get the necessary pieces around them to produce an NBA Championship – both OKC and Cleveland, thus far, have failed.
Just like LeBron in 2010, it could be time for Durant to move on. And just as LeBron didn’t choose another rebuilding process like the New York Knicks in 2010, why would Durant choose a team that seems so far away like the Lakers and Wizards?
And Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski, says he won’t.
"[via The Big Lead]WOJ: Washington and the Lakers, they are not frontrunners for Kevin Durant. He wants to win a championship. If he leaves Oklahoma – he may end up staying there – Golden State is the team that is worrisome for Oklahoma City. That’s the team that has Kevin Durant’s attention … Kevin Durant wants to win a Championship right away. Either he wants to do that in Oklahoma City, with the group they have, or he’s going to go somewhere he can win a title right away.Kevin Durant doesn’t care if they have the 1st pick, 2nd pick, 3rd pick … no free agent cares. No free agent of his stature cares what draft pick the team has, because that guy’s not going to help them win a Championship in the next 2-3 years. If Kevin Durant leaves Oklahoma – if he leaves – he wants to be ready to win a Championship right away. He’s at a point in his career [where] he can’t wait 2-3 years or wait for a team to build or hope that it happens."
The way reports have indicated over the last few weeks, it’s looking more and more like it’s Golden State or Oklahoma City for Kevin Durant this summer.
Maybe he re-signs a two-year deal, with an option on the second year this summer and gives it one more crack with Russell Westbrook in OKC. Or maybe he jumps ship and does the unthinkable. No one really knows right now. Not even the best in the business.
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Though, and what has been pretty clear over the past few weeks, is that Kevin Durant wants to win and win now.
I’m sorry, Wizards and Lakers. But that all but eliminates you.