Nike Pushing Kevin Durant to Move to Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets?
Kevin Durant will be the most coveted free agent next summer and a report suggested that his current contract with Nike could affect his decision next offseason.
A Twitter post from Basketball Forever indicated that Durant could get bigger incentives from Nike if he decides to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder and move to a bigger market like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
The alleged contract clause encourages Durant to sign either with the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers when he becomes a free agent next summer.
Durant has made it clear that he is not yet thinking about free agency, but is continuously being linked to several teams. The Knicks are among those teams that are expected to make a strong push for Durant, while the Nets will also have enough cap space to make a run at the former Most Valuable Player.
The Bulls are also in a good position to sign Durant, but FanSided noted that the Bulls could have other priorities next summer like signing Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah to new deals along with Derrick Rose's health.
On the other hand, the Lakers are also expected to make a strong push to sign Durant, especially if veteran superstar Kobe Bryant decides to retire after the 2015-16 NBA season.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith recently reported that if Durant decides to part ways with the Thunder, the Lakers will be on top of his list of preferred destinations over his hometown team Washington Wizards and the Miami Heat, who are also being linked to the high-scoring superstar.
"Regardless of how senseless it may sound, in one breath I'm hearing that if Kevin Durant doesn't stay in Oklahoma City, L.A. is his primary objective and landing spot as opposed to South Beach or even his home of Washington," Smith said on First Take.
However, Durant has already denied Smith's assessment and even said that the ESPN analyst is lying. Durant reiterated that no one from his camp has talked to Smith about his plans.
"I don't talk to Stephen A. Smith at all," Durant told reporters. "Nobody in my family, my friends -- they don't talk to Stephen A Smith. So he's lying. If you ask me a question, I'll talk about them. But like I said before, I have people who I talk to about everything, and I know for a fact they didn't talk to him."
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