Russell Westbrook's contract is up in a year and Kevin Durant's runs out after this season. Free agency has been looming over the Oklahoma City Thunder and locking up Durant this summer will be key to squashing the rumors of his time in OKC ending. In an interview on ESPN Radio 710's Mason and Ireland ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported that Westbrook may also be changing teams in the near future:
Keep in mind this, one of the biggest reasons, I'm told, that Kevin Durant may have the Lakers at the top of his list, is because the Lakers have been led to believe, by whom specifically I do not know, but the Lakers have been led to believe that it is a very good chance that the following year Russell Westbrook is coming.
This would first require KD to agree to terms with the Lakers and the team has not done well in attracting big-time free agents in recent years. This is also making the assumption that Westbrook and Durant would want to play on the same team still. Westbrook may relish the opportunity to be the unquestioned star of his own team so may in fact go somewhere Durant doesn't.
Getting Durant would also not fix the other problems the Lakers have like coach Byron Scott and the team's ownership. While Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle offer hope for the future, Los Angeles is still a long way from being a true title contender even with the addition of Durant.
[h/t Bleacher Report]
