This week, Kevin Durant and All-star guard James Harden we’re caught at a Houston restaurant which caused tons of speculations about Durant’s upcoming free agency decision. Starting July 1st, Durant will be an unrestricted free agent, probably the biggest one since LeBron James, and the amount of teams interested shows that. That being said, the Rockets, who were previously contenders to sign the former league MVP, are not a destination Durant is interested in.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN:
Sources told ESPN.com that Harden’s Houston Rockets are not a team Durant plans to consider when he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1, despite Harden’s presence there and the Rockets’ long-known intent to try to chase him.
At least one picture of Durant and Harden at a restaurant has circulated this week via Instagram, leading to inevitable speculation about Harden trying to recruit his former Oklahoma City Thunder colleague to Houston. But sources insist ?the visit is nothing out of the ordinary ?for them, given the players’ long-standing friendship, and particularly because Houston, sources say, is not a destination Durant intends to consider.
Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder were eliminated from the Western Conference Finals in 7 games after being up 3-1 with a chance to advance to the NBA Finals. Now Durant has the option of re-signing with the Thunder, or join one of the many teams interested including the Warriors, Spurs, Mavericks, Raptors, Knicks, Lakers and Celtics. Realistically, only the Lakers, Celtics and Thunder can offer the money that he wants without making any moves around the roster. The Warriors, Spurs and Raptors would have to make some major adjustments, but could end up offering a more elaborate deal which includes a chance to win. Either way, we won’t be seeing a reunion of Durant and Harden in Houston this offseason.
