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Klay Thompson's father reminds us that Kevin Durant could join the Warriors in 2016
Kevin Durant is sure going to have a lot of choices before him when he becomes a free agent in 14 months. That’s when he’ll become one, by the way. It won’t be until July 2016 that we’ll find out where Durant wants to spend the next four or five seasons of his career, but we do know that pondering and rumor-mongering about his upcoming choice will dominate the news cycle on most days. This man is 12 months removed from winning the MVP and teams are going to line up for the privilege to pay him through his prime.
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According to one seemingly locked-in member of the extended Golden State Warriors family, the W’s will most definitely be one of those teams. And they may even have the means to make it happen. Via Pro Basketball Talk and Warriors World, here’s Golden State guard Klay Thompson’s father Mychal Thompson digging in a bit:
“I also heard it on good authority from a team that plays in the Bay Area that they’re going to go hard after Kevin Durant.”
Mychal Thompson isn’t just your typical NBA dad. He was the first overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, nearly an All-Star in Portland, and was a reserve center on back to back champion Laker teams in 1987 and 1988. Since retirement he’s worked as a color commentator for Minnesota Timberwolves games, and he currently has the same role for Laker radio broadcasts.
He’s also Klay’s father, and he’s always been a loquacious sort. Seems like a good mix for a good rumor.
If it seems a little unfair that the 67-win Warriors would be just 14 months away from grabbing what will possibly be the NBA’s best player by that time, it’s because it is unfair.
The Warriors could pull it off, however. The NBA’s salary cap is expected to approach the $90 million mark in the summer of 2016, and the Warriors have just under $51 million on their books currently for that year – including Thompson’s recent extension, Stephen Curry, and the final year of Andrew Bogut’s deal. Of course, the Warriors are going to work like mad to re-sign Draymond Green to a contract that will likely top eight figures a year this summer, and current starting small forward Harrison Barnes could receive a contract extension if the Warriors see fit this summer or fall. Golden State will also have two more first-round draft picks to account for.
Biding time with Barnes in hopes of clearing space for Durant doesn’t seem like too nutty a strategy, however, for the NBA’s top-ranked front office. Barnes has been fantastic this year as a starter under new coach Steve Kerr, a bargain at just over $3 million, but he seems like the prototypical “go forth in restricted free agency and see what you get”-player.
Currently, at least. Because so many squads will be replete with either planned or unexpected cap space in the summer of 2016, Barnes could be the target of teams that fell short in the Durant sweepstakes (LeBron James, Kevin Love, Anthony Davis and Dwyane Wade could also be free agents, if they work in that direction). Two consecutive great years for a young two-way player coming into his prime – that’s the sort of things teams will pounce on, and Golden State would not be without risk in angling to clear salary for Durant’s $25 million starting slot.
This would also mean Durant would be all-in on leaving Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka in their respective primes as well, something he genuinely won’t make a decision on until the summer of 2016. Joining what could be a two-time champion (by then) in Golden State wouldn’t seem to be much of a letdown, as Curry and Thompson would be in their primes, but defensive helpers like Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala are already on the wrong side of 30 and would be in the final year of their contracts in 2016-17. Curry, KD and Klay would be quite the core, but Golden State would have a lot of work on its hands as it attempts to round out a roster with little financial flexibility left.
It’s a wild scenario, offered by a sometimes too-giddy dad who is half a country away from Kevin Durant’s camp.
It’s do-able, though. Which is rather frightening.
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is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
