Lakers Free Agency: Does Thunder Loss Affect Kevin Durant’s Decision?
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder lost in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, but does that affect the star’s free agency decision?
Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder looked like they were 100 percent bound for the NBA Finals after four games in the Western Conference Finals. Even against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, Durant and the Thunder were up 3-1 and looking dominant in the series.
They’re longing for that time after Game 7 on Monday night.
After losing Games 5 and 6, it came down to a winner-take-all contest on Monday night in Oracle Arena for Kevin Durant and OKC. Despite a tremendous effort from Durant, the Thunder fell short at the feet of Stephen Curry and the Warriors and were sent packing.
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Though there will obviously be a mourning period for Durant and his teammates, the real question that’s on the minds of NBA fans—especially fans of teams like the Los Angeles Lakers—is what’s next for Durant as he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason? Does a loss in the West Finals make him more likely to leave, less likely to leave, or not change a thing?
It’s easy to see where a loss like this with the Thunder would make Kevin Durant more likely to leave and explore his options like signing with the Lakers. With how OKC choked the series lead and how Game 7 played out, Durant might view this level as the ceiling for the Thunder right now and want to go elsewhere with more upside.
However, another possibility would be that this gives him something else to prove in Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant could look at this loss and only be motivated to give the Thunder glory in the postseason and want to return to try and accomplish that.
While both of those options are plausible, the most likely answer is that this loss, no matter how devastating, didn’t change a thing for Durant regarding his free agency decision. It’s felt like the All-Star forward has had his mind made up for some time now in one way or another and like not much would change his next step.
Next: Rumors: Lakers Not High On DeRozan in Free Agency
Lakers fans will have to continue anxiously waiting to see if they have even a remote chance at Kevin Durant in NBA free agency, but one thing is for sure ahead of the NBA Finals: the fact that KD didn’t make it to this point doesn’t affect what he’s going to do in free agency in any major way.