What do the recent Kevin Durant and Golden State Warriors reports mean for the Los Angeles Lakers?
For and Los Angeles Lakers or NBA fans that have been sitting under a rock the past couple days, reports suggest that Kevin Durant may be on his way out of Golden State this summer.
In the final seconds of Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, Draymond Green refused to pass the ball to Kevin Durant to win the game, which ultimately led to a lack of a shot attempt.
Durant was extremely frustrated with this play, which led to he and Green being separated by teammates, after engaging in a heated altercation with one another. We’ve all seen Durant and Green butt heads before, but typically in an encouraging way. This time was different, however.
Video was that shows Durant saying, “This is why I’m out man”, after walking back onto the court after his altercation with Green.
Months ago, no one would think twice about these words by Durant, but when Green referenced Durant’s free agency this summer as the reason for the altercation in the first place, this story hit the NBA by storm.
While this is simply a developing story, what can the Lakers make out of the possibility of Durant leaving the Warriors this summer? With murmurs of a possible Durant-LeBron James team up in Los Angeles this summer, Lakers fans may be jumping up and down right about now.
I for one, oppose the belief that Durant would sign with the Lakers. However, it is looking more and more like a true possibility. If Durant is indeed planning his departure from Golden State, it’s important to understand the type of situation he would likely desire.
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Just like any superstar, or any player in the entire NBA for that matter, Durant would love to play in a big market. This, of course, would leave the Lakers as arguably the best destination for Durant.
On the contrary, if Durant were to leave the Warriors, which have become one of the bigger market teams in the NBA, where would his priorities lay?
First off, leaving the Warriors would demonstrate Durant’s new approach on the importance of winning championships, or rather the path to doing so. If Durant were to leave the Warriors organization, it would mean he would want to try and win a championship on a team that can’t win one without him.
Additionally, Durant wants to get paid. Joining the Warriors meant Durant taking pay cuts for the past several seasons, and being paid a salary that he desires, is clearly important to him.
What sounds like news that no Lakers fan wants to hear, I find it unlikely that Durant would want to leave a near-guaranteed championship situation, to join forces with LeBron James in Los Angeles, where the situation is more fluid.
It seems like Durant wants to be the focal point of the team he joins, and by playing with LeBron, he may not even be the best player on his team. The market of Los Angeles is huge, and the Lakers have the money to intrigue Durant, but due to the situation he’d be leaving, it seems contradicting that he would want to join LeBron James and the Lakers.