Los Angeles Lakers are betting favorites to land Kevin Durant
Recent odds released on Kevin Durant’s free agency will make Los Angeles Lakers fans happy.
The Los Angeles Lakers have big plans for the summer of 2019. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have worked hard to fix the salary cap mess they inherited from the past regime of Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss.
Desperate to get back to relevance after Kobe Bryant‘s retirement, Kupchak and Buss threw stupid money at Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov. Those moves, to the surprise of no one, didn’t pan out as they had hoped.
As a result, they were relieved of their duties and replaced at first by Johnson. He got to work immediately, flipping Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for a first-round draft pick and Corey Brewer.
That would be the first of many moves made by the organization to get them into the position they are now. A culmination of transactions allowed the Lakers to clear enough cap space for not one, but two max contract free agents in free agency of 2018. They also compiled an impressive group of young players in Brandon Ingram, Ivica Zubac, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart.
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The fireworks began when LeBron James signed with the organization, agreeing to a four-year, $154 million deal. That commitment to the Lakers signaled that he is here for the long haul, making an already attractive landing spot for free agents that much nicer.
While the team was unable to land a second max contract player immediately, their books are clear enough that they will be players once again this summer, and the free agent class is loaded once again.
Players such as Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol and Kawhi Leonard could become free agents. The Lakers would love to land at least one of those players to pair with James and the young core they have put together. However, early indications were not great.
George was deadset on the joining the Lakers, but after being traded from the Indiana Pacers to the Oklahoma City Thunder, he re-signed there when he hit free agency. The same situation arose with Leonard, who was traded by the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors. Durant also made some interest comments about James, putting his interest in coming to Los Angeles in question.
Fear not, Lakers fans. While things aren’t clear right now, Las Vegas has confidence in the Lakers making a big splash this offseason. According to OddsShark, the Lakers are the odds on favorite to land Durant.
The Lakers have +175 odds of landing Durant this offseason, leading the pack. Rounding out the top-five is the Warriors at +200, the New York Knicks at +300, who are tied with the field, and the Thunder.
Durant’s free agency will be something the basketball world will be keeping an eye on intently. Where he lands could change the landscape of the NBA.
Will the Warriors remain a super team? Will the Knicks return to relevancy by adding Durant to a top draft pick and Kristaps Porzingis? Or can the Lakers truly return to the top of the Western Conference hierarchy with Durant and James teaming up?
Next. Is Kevin Durant Who the Lakers Need?. dark
We will have to wait and find out! You can be sure Johnson, Pelinka and company will be aggressive looking to land another superstar in Los Angeles.