Oklahoma City Thunder fans have a lot to worry about with the regular season drawing near. Their Super Star Kevin Durant and his foot injury, Russell Westbrook and whether or not he could carry the team in Durant's absence, the team's problematic defense and poor shooting, and some annoying rumors about Kevin Durant leaving in the free agency summer of 2016. The latest of such rumors come from NBA TV's analyst Peter Vecsey who says that Durant could consider joining the Los Angeles Lakers two summers from now when he'll be an unrestricted free agent via CLNS radio:
I say if Durant goes anywhere I look for him to go to the Lakers because they're going to have a tremendous amount of money to give him. Kobe will be on the way out at that point and they won't have anybody. A guy like him might want to start with the Lakers, or maybe he might want to go a team where he can win a championship.
Vescey wasn't lying though, when he said that the Lakers would have plenty of money to throw at Durant when he becomes a free agent. Next summer, in 2015, the Lakers will have freed up $33,455,132 of their current salary cap space according to Spotrac.com. In the summer of 2016, L.A will shed another $38,651,259 million in cap space making them serious candidates, in terms of money, to sign Durant.
Los Angeles can also be considered a possible destination for Kevin Durant because it is the best place for him to market his brand. He also wouldn't mind playing next to Kobe Bryant - if he opts to play in 2016 - calling the Lakers legend the greatest of all-time next to Michael Jordan. Durant could be the next superstar to carry the purple-and-gold to its next era of basketball greatness if he signs with the Lakers.
But all of these are mere speculation and it is still too early to tell if Vescey's rumor has legs because as of right now, there is really no real connection between Kevin Durant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
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