Good thing the Warriors are used to long shots, because the latest report on Kevin Durant’s free agency has insiders pegging his chances of leaving the Thunder at 10 percent.
The Undefeated cited several sources close to Durant who expect him to re-up in Oklahoma City for at least one more year. Durant met with Thunder brass in the heartland Thursday before he begins entertaining other suitors in the Hamptons on Friday.
“His decision is 90-percent made,” a longtime Durant friend told the website. “It would take an amazing sales pitch to change it.”
Durant can maximize his millions by staying with the Thunder — who came within a game of the NBA Finals under new coach Billy Donovan — and re-entering free agency next summer, when superstar sidekick Russell Westbrook is scheduled to hit the open market.
“It’s going to take some sweet-talking to get him to pass up all the money he can get by staying in OKC,” said another source close to Durant, identified as a “colleague.”
The Undefeated report states the Thunder view the Warriors as the team most likely to lure away Durant. The Warriors get first crack at a sit-down Friday, along with the Clippers, followed by the Spurs and Celtics on Saturday and the Heat on Sunday, according to NBA.com.
Beal, Wizards near deal
The Wizards wasted no time engaging with shooting guard Bradley Beal on negotiations for a five-year maximum contract just after the free agent market’s opening bell, with expectations that the deal will be completed on Friday morning, a person with knowledge of the situation told AP.
The sides started talks as soon as possible, just after midnight EDT on Friday. The deal will end up being close to $130 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be signed until July 7.
Beal averaged 17.4 points in his fourth season for the Wizards. He has teamed with John Wall to form one of the most dynamic young backcourts in the NBA but has had difficulty staying healthy. Beal has never played more than 70 games in a season and has been bothered by stress fractures in his right leg throughout his career.
He only played in 55 games with 35 starts during Washington’s disappointing 2015-16 season. But he just turned 23 and the Wizards are banking on his ability to put those injuries behind him as they try to push back into the playoff field in the Eastern Conference.
The Wizards have designs on landing some other big names on the free agent market, so Beal’s deal will not be signed until Washington knows who else will be coming from outside the organization. The Wizards have Bird Rights on Beal, meaning they can go over the salary cap, expected to be around $94 million, to keep him.
One player the Wizards won’t be getting is the prize of the class: Kevin Durant. Earlier in the spring there was some hope in Washington that Durant would choose to leave Oklahoma City and come back home to the D.C. area to join Wall and the rest of a team that appeared to be on the rise just two seasons ago. But it became apparent as the summer dragged on that Durant was not interested in a homecoming and so the Wizards are continuing their plan to build around that dynamic backcourt with a new coach in Scott Brooks.
When Beal is healthy, he brings a lethal scoring touch from the perimeter to complement Wall’s quickness and penetration at point guard. Beal is a career 39.7 percent shooter from 3-point range and also has shown the ability to create his own shot and the versatility to play with the starting unit or come off the bench to provide instant offense.
Mozgov signs with Lakers
After winning an NBA championship with the Cavaliers, Timofey Mozgov is cashing in with a four-year, $64 million deal with the Lakers, according to Yahoo.
Mozgov, who played an average of 5.8 minutes a game during the playoffs, had regular season averages of 6.3 points, 4.4 rebounds in 17.4 minutes in 76 games. Mozgov’s production in 2014-15 was more significant, with season averages of 10.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 46 games.