Forget the NBA Finals, the best time to tune in to the NBA is during July's free agency period. For two weeks, teams try and lure some of the biggest names in the NBA to join their franchise in the pursuit of an NBA championship. Some years feature generational talent that changes the landscape of basketballs premier league, and in 2019, we get one of those years. With players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Kawhi Leonard getting set to make decisions on their futures this summer lets take a look at potential landing spots and how it might affect the league this summer.

Let's start with Kevin Durant. Durant shocked the world three summers ago when he joined the Golden State Warriors, a team fresh off winning 73 games the previous year, and bouncing Durant's former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, from the playoffs with a classic down-3-games-to-1 comeback. The majority of the sports world absolutely loathed the decision, calling for a certain unfairness that a 73-win team could afford to add a player of Durant's caliber. Regardless of how people felt about Durant's decision, it paid off for the former MVP, winning back-to-back titles in Oakland with a third potentially on the way this season.

Now, Durant faces an important decision this summer. He could stay with the Warriors, the team that helped him get over the championship hump, or start over with a new franchise and try and help them win a championship. If he decides to stay with the Warriors, it will not be the same as the last two years have been. Klay Thompson, one part of the famous "Splash Brothers", is also in the mix of free agency this season, and the Warriors only have the cap space to sign one of their free agents this year. With tensions beginning to rise in Oakland, evident from Draymond Green calling out Durant earlier in the season, and the team seemingly not as dominant as in previous years, it seems like Durant's time with the Warriors is coming to a close.

A return to OKC seems out of the question, with new star Paul George balling out on his new contract, and the torn relationship he has with Russell Westbrook still not fully healed. Durant seems to have one major option he could explore past the Warriors this summer that makes sense, the New York Knicks. Despite the Knicks franchise struggling as a whole, winning in New York puts you in a whole different stratosphere when being discussed with the legends, something Durant values. He wants to be talked about as one of the best to play basketball when his career is set and done, and winning New York a championship might be something that would put him into the illustrious "G.O.A.T" conversation. Plus, he has already placed his brands' headquarters in New York City, very similar to how LeBron bought a house in L.A last summer before making a move to the Lakers. The Knicks have cleared up cap to sign two max contracts this summer, so he would also get paid the money he believes he's earned after taking pay cuts to play with the Warriors the past three years.

The Knicks seem like the likely spot for Durant this summer, with not many other teams emerging as serious contenders. He could re-sign with the Warriors, but moving to New York seems more likely. This leads us to Kyrie Irving, who is growing more and more upset with his situation in Boston. Irving was traded to the Celtics two years ago following an embarrassing NBA Finals performance against Durant's Warriors. Irving was teammates with LeBron James during those Finals and believed he could lead a different team to a championship after watching LeBron receive the credit for their lone championship the prior year, leading to the trade to Boston. After getting hurt that last year, and watching (despite not being in attendance for Game 7 of the East Finals) his team get so close to the NBA Finals, it seemed this was going to be a great year for Boston. Now, with less than 20 games left in the regular season, Boston finds themselves in the 5th spot in the East, and are struggling to improve that position. If Boston can't get their act together and make the Finals this year with no LeBron in the East, it might be time for Irving to move on.

So where will he go? It is worth mentioning that if Boston secures Anthony Davis this summer via trade, this may get Uncle Drew to stay with the team. That may be the only other way Boston keeps him besides getting to the NBA Finals or winning the championship. If not, there are a couple of options. After a story dropped a few months ago saying Kyrie had apologized to LeBron for how he handled the trade situation two years ago, the Lakers become an enticing option for Irving. The Lakers have been struggling to get a second superstar to join LeBron in L.A and if they are to strike out with their other options, a reunion between the two players could be in order. Another option is to join KD in New York if he decides to sign there. This one has been talked about for a while now, and still seems plausible. As mentioned earlier, the Knicks have room to sign two max guys this summer. In addition, the Knicks are in line for a very high draft pick in this years NBA draft, which means they could get college phenom, Zion Williamson. If they were to draft Zion, KD and Kyrie could easily follow and develop the next chapter in the NBA superteam history, something that should entice Irving if he is looking to win titles. He may not be the top player on that team, but winning multiple titles near his hometown of Brooklyn may trump his current situation of being "the guy" like he is in Boston.

As for other superstar players like Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson, their decisions are a little more complicated. There hasn't been a team that has emerged as a favorite for either of these players. Thompson seems keen on staying with the Warriors, but he is so even-keeled that no one really knows what he is going to do, not even teammates. Leonard is the same way, a laidback player whose only goal is winning. He wants to put himself in the best situation possible to win a title and also get paid. If his current team, the Toronto Raptors, can get themselves to the Finals this year, he will likely remain in Canada. If not, there is not many believing he will resign there. He could possibly join LeBron in L.A, but surprisingly enough, the other L.A team, the Clippers, seem more likely to secure Leonard's signature. The Clippers have the cap to sign Leonard, where he can be the team leader and even add a second superstar to the roster. They can also bribe Leonard with the opportunity to live in Los Angeles and enjoy the perks of living there.

With July just around the corner, there is still a lot of optimism for how this year's free agency will go. There is no doubt that this one will change the NBA for years to come with a shift in power seemingly imminent. However, the closer we get to the free agency period, it has become evident that most of these decisions cannot be predicted this early. There are definitely signs as to where these players will play basketball in the 2019-2020 season, but many players decisions will come after their seasons conclude. With the playoffs a little less than a month away from beginning, the NBA rumor mill will surely be on fire with new knowledge on where these players are headed. So if you like the NBA how it is right now, enjoy the next few months. The next time you see it, it may look completely different.