THE GOLDEN STATE Warriors want to lure Kevin Durant and put even more offence on the floor.
Durant, the top prize in this year’s free-agent class, met with the Warriors on Friday in The Hamptons outside New York. A person close to the situation said Warriors owner Joe Lacob, general manager Bob Myers, coach Steve Kerr and All-Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were among those present. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to publicly discuss the matter.
Durant, the four-time scoring champion and 2014 MVP with the Oklahoma City Thunder, is scheduled to meet with the Miami Heat on Sunday. Media reports say he met with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday evening and will meet with the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
It makes sense for the Warriors to try to add Durant — he averaged 30 points per game against them in this year’s Western Conference finals and torched them for a career-high 54 points in 2014.
Durant could make a record-setting franchise even better. Golden State set the NBA record with 73 wins and led the league in scoring. The Warriors fell just short of a repeat NBA title, however, losing to Cleveland in seven games.
Durant can maximise his earning potential by signing a deal with the Thunder that allows him to become a free agent again next year, then signing a longer deal when the salary cap takes another jump.
