The race to sign free agent forward Kevin Durant officially begins on Friday, July 1, and word is that Durant has agreed to take pitches from just six teams—the Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs, the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Clippers and, of course, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The smart money is on him staying in OKC and doing this whole thing over again next summer. But if you’re one of the lucky five other teams, you have to try, right?
Because even if Durant re-ups with OKC on a one-and-one (teaming him back with Russell Westbrook for one more go and upping considerably what his max deal would be for the ‘17-18 season), it seems safe to say that he will consider the same teams next summer. He wants the best chance to win, and the best chance to win will come with a stable franchise with a system in place. If he’s going to leave the only franchise he’s ever played for, it won’t be to rebuild someone else’s.
We don’t know yet what format these meetings will take, but let’s imagine for a moment: Durant, at a table with the team’s representative(s), just listening, each team taking their best shot. What would each of them say? Here are our best guesses for all six—as well as three desperate suitors who apparently didn’t make the cut.