Kevin Durant Free Agency Thread

[Litany]

Smitty731 wrote:
Alright a fairly credible source (not mine, but one another guy trusts) says OKC is out and he told them he is leaving. But he did not say where he is going.

Who is Smitty731

celtics board moderator

Have to say this. If Durant picks Boston over staying in OKC or going to the GSW, he's an idiot.

It's better for my team, so it's not like I want him going to GSW. Just speaking from what I think makes sense for him winning a ring. He's got a better chance of doing that in OKC or GSW than Boston...much much better.

[Birdie]

I think 20+ other teams are rooting for Boston as well here. No one outside of Oakland/SF wants KD in GSW

Safely, I think you can put this # exactly at 29. And I think, this would be consensus if he only decided to leave.

28 other teams and their fanbases would be just as cool with him staying in OKC as well. Craziness but fun to watch from the outside even though, I had as much of a shot in 2014 as it was made out to be. KD's situation is basically a pick between great (OKC), great (GSW), great (BOS) situation no matter what. The only lose/lose will be if he goes to Warriors, he becomes villain somewhat for a year but maybe not as vitriolic as LBJ in 2010 unless Draymond pulls his own not 5, 6, 7 (which I could see him doin/sayin)...We shall see.

He would get it worse than James. With James he only spurned one other team and joined two of his friends. KD would be joining a 73 win team that already won. Plus spurring Boston and the team that brought him into the league in the process. Boston fans don't forget...

Naw cuz KD doesn't have the local ties to OKC like LBJ had in CLE. They had just come off a 60ish win season and was mad funky how that last series with BOS ended with his elbow and whether Delonte was boning his mom and what not. And then he had the spectacle of the meetings, The Decision, the welcoming in MIA. KD's courting has been vanilla compared to all that.

And BOS really wasn't in the picture until Horford decided to come through, which gave you guys life support but grand scheme, it was always GSW or OKC to begin with, while BOS was a longshot but the odds got better cuz Big Al made his decision so quick.

I don't think BOS fans will care cuz the process has been so quick, it'd of been different if he had these meetings and flirted with BOS stringing them along for a week and then said, sike, peace out. But that's not the case. You guys are happy enough getting Horford seeing as how poorly the Draft ended up being in terms of not being able to get your hands on Noel or Jimmy and now you got draft picks and prospects coming out your ears.

I DO KNOW though, that tweet KD has in 2010 that's been reposted in this thread, that's def. gonna comeback to bite him if he leaves and joins Dubs'. That's a guarantee.

[Nutty Nats Fan]

Man, if this guy pulls this crap off two years in a row.

What crap is he pulling? The only people make a big deal of it are the Media and he isn't feeding them like Lebron did.

[chrisab123]

Then don't judge him if he doesn't join your team. It's extremely hypocritical. Is it good for the game if he joins the Warriors? No. Would it be good for the game if the Celtics were in the Warriors shoes and he joined them? No. There's no difference so don't cheer for him in one situation and **** on him in another.

It says a lot about a person when they send out a tweet about the Heat doing it then goes and does the same thing however...

I'm not disputing that. What I'm disputing is the fact that you have the audacity to want to **** on him for joining the Warriors while you'd never do that if the Celtics were in the Warriors shoes and he was considering joining you.

If you'd lose respect for him if he joined the Warriors then you should lose respect for him if the Celtics were the Warriors in this instance and he joined you. The situations would be the exact same.

I'd still lose respect for the guy if it was the Celtics. It's the easy way out. You talk about wanting to be the best...yet you're willing to settle for the Kevin Love role.

[asdfgh]

I'm sure it's a very difficult decision for him. Who wouldn't want to play for a team like the Warriors? On the other hand he has friendships at OKC and they were really close this year to winning it all.

[Tim_Hardawayy]

Get ready for everyone to claim he had his mind made up for days (if not weeks) once he announces and jerked all these teams around for no reason, no matter who he picks.

[tyguy]

Man, if this guy pulls this crap off two years in a row.

What crap is he pulling? The only people make a big deal of it are the Media and he isn't feeding them like Lebron did.

I don't know, stringing the basketball world along for a week while everybody is waiting hand and foot on him?

[Jordan45822]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/749729380448952320[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/749729929529401344[/tweet]

[Cuban_Linx]

Where exactly am I judging his character based on this move? I can judge your reading comprehension as poor, but I didn't judge kd's character. All I did was call him a thin skinned wannabe, and I felt that before this ever happened. He has spent a career blasting the press that has largely given him a pass. He's entitled to make whatever move he wants. I'm entitled to think it's weak if he makes it. I didn't call him a bad person.

He has spent a couple months blasting the media and then he smarted up and stopped doing it. Whatever it is you have against him really can't be solely because of that.

It'd make way more sense to actually hate on him for joining GSW instead of just for that but maybe that's just me.

A couple of months? You need to pay closer attention. First off he has always had an icey relationship with their local media outside of Royce young. He had the ridiculous blowup at allstar weekend with the national media a couple years back which was just childish and he was forced to apologize for with his wannabe tough guy act. He blasted the media this year for treatment of Kobe of all people. He whined about the mr unreliable headline a couple years back which may have been the first ever negative word uttered about him, and the paper actually apologized to him for it (that's how sweet he has had it). Durant has a running track record of constantly blasting the media that has gone out of their way to not blast him

And I don't hate KD. I think he is massively thin skinned though, and if he lived in Lebron or kobe's world he might have to be committed to an instititution to deal based on how he reacts to the little he gets

The whole Thunder organization has basically no relationship with the local media. That's just their culture. There's no one in OKC who has any credible sources inside the organization. Royce Young is easily the most well liked reporter in the organization and he never even gets half a scoop as a reward. Nothing to do with KD.

Next on he didn't even whine about the mr unreliable headline. That's just your fabrications. Here's an actual quote from him about the headline

"I'm unreliable? Me, Mr. Unreliable?" Durant said Thursday morning. "As a competitor there's going to be good and bad days. They're going to build you up, they're going to break you down. You just have to stay even keeled, and that's what I am. It's all about what have you done for me lately, and I understand that."

And the dumb blowup at ASW was last year and then he apologised for it. Then he went back and blasted the media again for criticizing Kobe later that year. Like I said, a couple months. That's really all there is to it as far as him lashing out against the media. Unless you wanna count him blasting Skip for ripping his teammate.

Really, this is it. Surely there's been a couple of stupid clashes but for some reason you're either blowing them way out of proportion or just straight up making stuff up and pinning it on him. I don't know you and you have all the right to hate whoever you want but your reasoning for this is just flimsy.

[Nutty Nats Fan]

Man, if this guy pulls this crap off two years in a row.

What crap is he pulling? The only people make a big deal of it are the Media and he isn't feeding them like Lebron did.

I don't know, stringing the basketball world along for a week while everybody is waiting hand and foot on him?

So he should make a big life changing decision in one day? Sounds like you just hate Durant if you have issues with him meeting with teams and taking the time to decide which situation is best.

[fa2011]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/KDTrey5/status/18688294600[/tweet]

lol. Classic.

Deserves a retweet from OKC fans to KD

[minnytola1960]

If I'm Durant I go to GSW or stay. Why leave the team you've been with all your career to go to a team (BOS) that could very well not be any better than you're currently on? If Durant wants to win a title, might as well go all out and pick GSW.

[tyguy]

What crap is he pulling? The only people make a big deal of it are the Media and he isn't feeding them like Lebron did.

I don't know, stringing the basketball world along for a week while everybody is waiting hand and foot on him?

So he should make a big life changing decision in one day? Sounds like you just hate Durant if you have issues with him meeting with teams and taking the time to decide which situation is best.

Of course I don't, but this has been a circus, and two years in a row would be pretty uncharted territory for a sought after free agent.

[Mikey1690]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/749729380448952320[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/749729929529401344[/tweet]

GSW was and still is, IMO, the only logical choice if he's going to leave. He has a better team in OKC than he would in Boston. He's beloved in OKC like he'd never be in Boston.

[Birdie]

Biggest winner tonight: The Players Tribune

Can just imagine the page clicks, refresh, server overload as people wait for his article to be posted.

I'll admit, I was a refresh fiend back on 7/11/2014 anywhere I could get LBJ news as to what he had decided. I'm sure Dubs/BOS/OKC fans are in the same boat for all differing reasons. Click on my friends, lol.

[red_power]

Come on guys, it apeears to be close and we need to push it past 100 pages!

[chrisab123]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/749729380448952320[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/749729929529401344[/tweet]

GSW was and still is, IMO, the only logical choice if he's going to leave. He has a better team in OKC than he would in Boston. He's beloved in OKC like he'd never be in Boston.

You've never been to Boston, have you? The athletes in the town are the most beloved figures around. Big Papi and Brady are regarded as national treasures essentially. The fan base can pretty much tell you every player from every title team. That's probably the most asinine statement in this thread.

[Saint_Killa]

Biggest winner tonight: The Players Tribune

Can just imagine the page clicks, refresh, server overload as people wait for his article to be posted.

I'll admit, I was a refresh fiend back on 7/11/2014 anywhere I could get LBJ news as to what he had decided. I'm sure Dubs/BOS/OKC fans are in the same boat for all differing reasons. Click on my friends, lol.

But LeBrons decision was posted on SI, if i'm not mistaken?

[Nutty Nats Fan]

I don't know, stringing the basketball world along for a week while everybody is waiting hand and foot on him?

So he should make a big life changing decision in one day? Sounds like you just hate Durant if you have issues with him meeting with teams and taking the time to decide which situation is best.

Of course I don't, but this has been a circus, and two years in a row would be pretty uncharted territory for a sought after free agent.

Again, Durant is not doing anything to cause a circus. It is his right to meet with teams and take the time to make his decision. It is also uncharted territory the cap jumps two years in a row, so if he wants to do a 1 + 1 deal, that is also his right.

I haven't seen anything reported to reflect he is creating the circus. Direct that ire at BPSN and their ilk for it.

[RussellandFlow]