Kevin Durant free agency talk bad news for Golden State backers

KEVIN Durant is supposedly going to become a free agent on July 1. His talent is such that if he actually entertains the idea of leaving Oakland, the Californian city where the Golden State Warriors are based, then he could imbalance the entire list of NBA favorites.

However, sources say that KD is going to stay with Golden State. Him becoming a free agent is simply a move that he can make, at his convenience, to restructure his contract.

Last year, Durant made a ‘lean’ $26.2 million salary en route to winning his second NBA title. That’s a low salary for someone of his ability in the NBA.

If Durant gets paid his market value then somewhere around $34m to $36m isn’t out of the question for one season. If you look at things in the bigger picture then that extra $8m to $10m could have an impact on other Golden State Warriors getting the deals they want.

HoopsHype lists several free agents with Golden State, none of which are part of the team’s core except for Durant. However, if we assume that Durant gets $35m then free agents Nick Young, Patrick McCaw, Kevon Looney, Omri Casspi, Zaza Pachulia, JaVale McGee and David West might not be able to push for much.

What does it mean?

It means that while Golden State’s core should stay intact, its bench might shake up for the worse. Looney, Young and McGee are the role players that GS will probably want the most, but a lot of other teams will want a look at them too.

Don’t be surprised if GS’s depth is worse next year than it was in the 2017-18 season. While the core is obviously title calibre, the Warriors will be at greater risk when it comes to injury insurance.

As market favorites for the NBA title, they have to be avoided while the in-the-LeBron-mix Los Angeles Lakers still look good at +700 with Bovada.