Kambui Bomani
Sports Writer
The NBA Playoffs are currently in progress, but it is never too late to get a head start into predicting the future destinations of a plethora of NBA free agents as we head into the league’s 2019 Free Agency Summer.
Because of the in-depth talent pool expected to be headed into the open market, the viewing public has perceived the summer of 2019 as being the NBA’s biggest free agency class in recent memory.
So, while going through the large list of individuals who are potential free agents and predicting where they could go in the near future would be a very enjoyable article, here is a condensed analysis of two major players in this year’s free agency class who’s potential destinations could reshape the league once again during the early stages of the 21stcentury.
Kevin Durant, Small Forward, Golden State Warriors- Potential Destination: New York Knicks
Kevin Durant has been regarded as the league’s second-best player behind Los Angeles Laker LeBron James for nearly a decade.
During this time, he has transitioned from being the go-to guy on an iso-oriented Oklahoma City Thunder team, to the main cog on an All-Star saturated Golden State Warrior squad that has won back to back NBA Championships since his arrival, and three of the last four titles overall.
Durant has gone through a variety of criticism during his Warriors tenure, but with the chance of him hoisting up a third straight Larry O’Brien Trophy is seeming to be inevitable. The pulse around the league is that Durant will leave the winning confines of Golden State and go elsewhere next season as he enters the late stages of his prime.
The new team that many NBA sources around the league expect Kevin to go to is the New York Knicks, which from a basketball sense is a deal being made with fire but from a business perspective appeases the aspirations of Durant’s new agent Rich Kleiman.
The Knicks have not been on the side of winning for the past five or six years and while they have the chance to possess the number one pick, there is no guarantee they will actually get it or obtain the correct draft prospect that’s capable of developing into a future NBA star.
However, if the chips do fall where they may and the Knicks add another superstar to their contract books to pair with Durant, then their once bleak past, present, and future, can become a glowing ray of light almost overnight.
Kyrie Irving, Point Guard, Boston Celtics- Potential Destination: Boston Celtics/ New York Knicks
It has been a rocky year for Kyrie Irving as he is nearing the conclusion of his $90+ million dollar extension that the Cleveland Cavaliers granted him in 2014.
A Celtics team that was predicted to run through the East with relative ease during this season, amassed just 49 wins which underachieved expectations.
The feeling throughout the Celtic’s camp all year has been heavy tension in the locker room between young players who obtained postseason success the year prior and Kyrie Irving who tried to become a vocal leader almost overnight by utilizing unique techniques through the media to implore his teammates to bend to his will.
The team in itself still made the playoffs and swept the Indiana Pacers during their first-round matchup in workman like fashion. However, if the team falls short of an NBA Finals appearance, it is fair to say after the year Kyrie had spiritually and emotionally with Boston, the perineal All-Star could move on.
Boston could potentially offer him a max contract and if so, it’s a winning proposition he cannot pass up both economically and professionally. The side effects are if the remaining members on the team would be okay with him returning leaving Irving to in essence decide would he be willing to pick up the pieces of his career yet again and move to a new proving ground.
Potentially partnering with Durant in New York to create a dynamic duo surrounded by the potential likes of Zion Williamson and a few quality role players seems just as appeasing out in the east. That and the allure to serve a piece of humble pie to the same Celtic team that for a year seems to have taken his greatness on the court for granted.
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