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Lakers Free Agency Rumors: Kevin Durant Not Making LA a Priority

By Cody Williams

Dec 19, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. (7) during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. (7) during the third quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Lakers are not among the teams Kevin Durant has initially agreed to meet with in NBA free agency

Without question, the biggest get in 2016 NBA free agency would be Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant. He’s one of the most dynamic, talented, and coveted players of the modern era and any team that would sign him would instantly have to be considered a contender. However, the Los Angeles Lakers might not even be close to be landing Durant.

Reports surfaced on Saturday about the teams that Kevin Durant would meet with initially (per The Vertical) and those teams included the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat. Noticeably absent from that list is of course the Lakers

According to another supplementary report from Sam Amick of USA Today, the Lakers aren’t even expected to get a meeting with Durant at this point, in addition to his hometown team in the Washington Wizards.

This is certainly a bit of a shocking development considering that the general consensus seemed to be that the Lakers (and most NBA teams) were set to launch an all-out pursuit of Durant in free agency. However, the fact that the Lakers aren’t even expected to get the chance to sit down and pitch Durant is a bit surprising.

Obviously this hits home for those fans hoping that Durant would come to the Lakers, but the superstar’s priorities stated in the same report add a bit of closure as to why Los Angeles isn’t even being considered.

Durant is reportedly chiefly concerned with joining a team that is able to contend for a championship right away. No matter how highly you think of D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle, that single criteria essentially excludes the Lakers.

Next: NBA Free Agency 2016: Top 25 Players

However, the Lakers have also been connected to many of the big name players set to hit the open market, so their pursuits will simply be diverted elsewhere. Even still, it’s a bummer that the Durant to LA talk is all but dead at this point.

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