Kevin Durant’s free agency is the story of the summer. Now eliminated from the postseason after a great run by the Oklahoma City Thunder, teams will be lining up to try to sign the all-star and top three player. In fact, it may be easier at this point to list the teams that are not pursuing Durant.
Many teams will try and most will fail to sign Durant, but that is not keeping the Atlanta Hawks from reportedly joining that list. According to Jeff Schulz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Hawks are expected to make a “strong push” for the small forward.
There is something to be said about Durant wanting to join the East. By going to what is still the objectively weaker conference, KD could have a free run to the Eastern Conference Finals almost every year and have a good chance of beating LeBron’s Cavs to reach the Finals.
The Hawks have a good team with some talent and a frontcourt of Durant, Paul Millsap, and Al Horford – should he re-sign in Atlanta – would be scary for everyone.
That said, Atlanta has plenty of flaws and that supporting cast is certainly not better than the one KD led to almost beating the 73-win Warriors. And there are other teams in the East with better supporting casts (Miami) or much more flexibility and trade assets (Boston) who could be more enticing if Durant does want to change conferences. If he does not want to make that move, he can join a super team in Golden State or a defensive juggernaut in need of youth and scoring in San Antonio.
As it stands now, I would be very surprised if Kevin Durant left OKC at all. But even if he did, there are several better options than what Atlanta can provide. That said, the Hawks should absolutely try to get a meeting with the superstar and hope to change his mind.
