During Game 5 of the NBA Finals it looked as if the NBA was returning to normalcy after Kevin Durant came back from injury and looked like his old self. After quickly tallying 11 points, KD looked like he was ready to lead the Warriors to a crucial game 5 victory on the road. Suddenly, the basketball world stopped as KD went down on his right calf from a non-contact injury. On Wednesday, the Warriors star underwent surgery on what was a ruptured Achilles tendon.
All throughout the playoffs there has been talk on where Kevin Durant will land during free agency this summer and who will join up with him to create the next powerhouse team. One of the rumors that was going around was that Durant will sign with the New York Knicks this summer and try to lure another star (such as Kyrie Irving) to join forces with him. If this were to happen it would bring relevance to a struggling team that has a huge market, that being New York City. Reports have recently come out that Durant is still unlikely to opt in to the final year of his deal with the Warriors. The Knicks' interest in Durant is still there regardless of whether or not he will be able to play at all next season, and New York currently has two max salary slots in which they will try to find another superstar in free agency.
Another team that has rumors swirling around them is the Los Angeles Lakers. After failing to make the playoffs this season it is evident that LeBron James could use another superstar on the roster. There have been rumors about Anthony Davis being traded to the Lakers, and with Los Angeles having the 4th overall pick in the NBA Draft there could be a deal struck up between these two teams soon. Recently another potential landing spot for Davis has made its way into the news, and that being the Boston Celtics. With the draft being right around the corner the deal could be finalized before then because the 4th overall pick is a nice trading chip that Los Angeles could use. Marc Stein has tweeted that New Orleans is only looking to surrender Anthony Davis if it consists of a three-teams-or-more deal.
I expect that the Lakers will land at least one other star to accompany LeBron in hopes making Los Angeles a more powerful team in the Western Conference. Hornets Point Guard, Kemba Walker is another name who is a free agent and there have been reports of his interest in going to LA.
There are many possibilities of what can happen this offseason, there can be a lot of teams emerging as new powerhouses which can shake up the whole picture of the NBA. The Warriors might not be the team with the biggest target on their back, because Klay Thompson is also a free agent this offseason as well.
