Durant Heads 2016 Free Agency Class That Will Be Best Ever

In an interview in April 2013, Kevin Durant told Sports Illustrated he was tired of finishing second.

Durant was the second player taken in the 2007 draft. He lost in the NBA Finals in 2012. He finished second in MVP voting four times.

This past season, Durant took a huge step forward when he won his first MVP award, finally emerging from the shadow cast by LeBron James. But if he doesn’t win an NBA championship in the next two years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he will surpass James and no longer be second in another area as well:

The attention given to his impending free agency.

Durant won’t be a free agent until 2016, but the swirl already has started. It was indirectly triggered by James, whose decision to return to Cleveland this summer prompted questions whether something similar was an option in 2016 for Durant, who is from Washington.

Durant didn’t exactly rule it out. While lauding James’ decision in a recent interview with Yahoo!, Durant also said, “I’m here in Oklahoma City. I love it here. Who knows what will happen? I will never close the door on anything, but I like where I’m at right now.”

Right now, Durant is with a perennial title contender alongside a superstar in Russell Westbrook and a budding All-Star in Serge Ibaka. He also is with an owner who refuses to pay the luxury tax – not even once – and a GM who is more concerned with pinching pennies and preserving roster spots than adding proven pieces.

Meanwhile, the Wizards are positioning themselves to pounce on Durant. They ended a six-year playoff drought, adding a postseason series win for good measure. In fellow Team USA invitees John Wall and Bradley Beal, they have the best young backcourt east of Oakland. They even hired David Adkins, one of Durant’s former coaches at Montrose Christian.

Most important, the Wizards passed on re-signing small forward Trevor Ariza to a long-term deal and instead signed veteran Paul Pierce to keep the position warm until 2016, when they will have enough salary cap room to add a max player.

All you need to know about the fever pitch of the speculation is that Durant has removed Twitter from his cell phone. It’s hard to imagine things calming down between now and the summer of 2016, when Durant will be the top prize among the best group of free agents in NBA history.

Remember 2010, when James headed a group of free agents that looked like an All-Star roster? That bunch pales in comparison to the collection of stars that could be on the open market in 2016.

Before we look at the teams who can be major players for Durant, James – yeah, he’s due again – or any of the other nearly two dozen top players available, let’s have a looksee at this incredible free agent class.

2016 FREE AGENTS

KEVIN DURANT: It is quite possible that he will be the best player in the game, given his age (27 in 2016) and the heavy lifting LeBron James may have to do in Cleveland. It is also quite possible that he will have had his fill of living in a fly-over state with a cheap owner and want to come home to the DC area and join what likely could be the best backcourt in the NBA.

 

JOAKIM NOAH: With the outside exception of Anthony Davis, there is no reason to believe he won’t be the best all-around center in the game. He also will cost a lot more than the $60 million over five years that he got in his current deal.

 

AL HORFORD: No one questions his ability, and he would be even better if he spent more time at power forward rather than playing as an undersized center. But he has missed 116 of 230 games due to injury since signing a five-year, $60 million deal and needs to put together a couple of healthy seasons to get a max deal.

 

NICOLAS BATUM: He will only be 27 in the summer of 2016 and could be very intriguing as something more than the third offensive option he is in Portland. Don’t be surprised if he is maxed out because his two-way skills will be in great demand, especially because he plays the same position as James and Durant.

 

MIKE CONLEY: He has never been an All-Star, and his name never comes up when discussing the game’s top point guards. But how many of those guys are actually better two-way players? He has played way above the five-year, $45 million contract many thought was a reach and easily is in line for a deal averaging in the teens.

 

OTHERS: Kobe Bryant will be 37 and probably ready to call it quits. … David Lee won’t get anywhere near the $80 million he got in his last deal. … Teammates JaVale McGee and Danilo Gallinari will help clear out Denver’s cap but need to stay healthy to maintain their earning power. … Nene will be 33 with a long history of injuries and probably end up with the mid-level exception. … Ryan Anderson and Jeff Green are nice third options but probably don’t warrant eight figures.

2016 FREE AGENTS IF THEY OPT IN NEXT SUMMER

LEBRON JAMES: The game’s best player can opt out next summer but would only do that if synching his free agency with prospective new teammate Kevin Love helps the Cavaliers more in 2015 than it would in 2016. If truth be told, it’s hard to imagine James ever leaving Cleveland again, simply because the public backlash – warranted or not – would be too much.

KEVIN LOVE: There is one scenario in which Love would not opt out of his current deal and become a free agent next summer. If he winds up in Cleveland, he and James could decide to enter free agency together in 2016, when the new TV deal should be in place, dramatically increasing future salary caps and giving the Cavaliers the ability to add another key piece.

BROOK LOPEZ: Arguably the NBA’s best offensive center, he could opt out next summer if things go south quickly in Brooklyn, which is certainly possible given the roster’s average age and injury history. But he would have to show that he can make it through a season without another significant foot injury, always a concern among big men.

ROY HIBBERT: Could he opt out and become a free agent next summer? Sure, but that would mean leaving $15.5 million on the table. His disappearing act last season likely will be followed by a season where opponents will be loading up on him in the absence of Paul George and Lance Stephenson. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a huge chore on his hands.

DAVID WEST: Can get his without the help of teammates more easily than Hibbert can. But he turns 34 later this month and is done as an eight-figure player. In fact, the unwarranted $2 million annual raise he received in his current deal may have indirectly cost the Pacers the ability to keep Lance Stephenson.

ERIC GORDON: Almost certain to opt in and join the class of 2016, given the injuries and inefficiency that have plagued him since New Orleans matched Phoenix’s offer sheet. Also almost certain to take a dramatic pay cut for the same reasons.

DWYANE WADE: He is only on this list because of name recognition. At 32, he doesn’t show much “Flash” anymore, and it’s to hard to imagine him remaining healthy through a season now that he has more heavy lifting to do with James gone. He can opt out next summer but almost certainly won’t.

OTHERS: There is a quartet of younger – and in most cases, better – players who could opt in for the 2015-16 season but probably won’t. Among them is Thaddeus Young, who can’t get out of Philadelphia and into free agency fast enough for what likely will be his only eight-figure deal. … Goran Dragic may be able to double his $7.5 million salary next summer, but probably not in Phoenix, where GM Ryan McDonough has shown a propensity to pinch pennies and/or not budge with free agents (Channing Frye, Eric Bledsoe). … Al Jefferson and Monta Ellis are similar in that both have shown themselves to be different players in different settings. Another season of efficiency should be enough for both of them to opt out of their final years and get bigger, longer deals next summer.

2016 FREE AGENTS IF THEY OPT OUT

CHRIS PAUL: He has an early termination option, but exercising it would mean leaving a staggering $47 million on the table at 31 years old, which he would be a fool not to consider. He could free up a couple of million for the capped-out Clippers by taking less money over a longer deal. Or he could turn the market upside down by deciding to move on.

DWIGHT HOWARD: By the summer of 2016, Howard will be 30 and have been in Houston for three years. Given the step back the Rockets took this offseason, the chances of them reaching the NBA Finals in that time seems more unlikely. After the three-ring circus he created in Orlando and his abrupt departure after one season in Los Angeles, who really knows what is going on in his remarkably flighty mind?

DeMAR DeROZAN: He was an All-Star for the first time last season and got an invite from Team USA, which shows he isn’t quite at the ceiling many thought he already had reached, especially if he starts consistently making threes. He will turn just 27 in the summer of 2016 and may feel like $9.5 million isn’t enough money for a top-three shooting guard.

CHANDLER PARSONS: He would have to leave over $16 million on the table, and his first two years in Dallas will determine whether that is way too much money or not enough. He will be 27 but also will be on the market with some bigger and admittedly better names. At the same time, he and teammate Dirk Nowitzki could opt out together and create tremendous future flexibility.

DIRK NOWITZKI: It is more likely that Nowitzki completes the three-year deal he signed this summer and – at age 39 – rides into the sunset in 2017. But if Ellis and Chandler can assume some of the offensive load over the next two years, perhaps Nowitzki could be talked into opting out in 2016 and signing for two more years, taking him to an even 40.

 

PAU GASOL: He will be 36 two years from now, when he can opt out of the three-year contract he signed with the Bulls this summer. He has missed significant chunks of the last two seasons and continues to play international ball. And Tom Thibodeau isn’t exactly well-versed in resting his players throughout the season.

 

2016 FREE AGENTS IF TEAM OPTION IS DECLINED

LANCE STEPHENSON: More likely to be part of the following year’s class, considering that the Hornets hold the option on his 2016-17 salary of $9.5 million. Two years from now, that figures to be one of the best bargains in the league because Stephenson could become the best all-around shooting guard in the NBA.