The Clippers are reportedly trying to lure Kevin Durant with a plan that sounds like a pipe dream
The Los Angeles Clippers are one of the six teams with scheduled meetings to recruit Kevin Durant when he becomes a free agent on July 1.
Thus far, it's unclear what Durant's preference is for his next contract, but the Clippers haven't been mentioned among the top contenders to sign him.
But that doesn't mean they won't try. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Arash Markazi, the Clippers have a plan to recruit Durant, and it sounds like a stretch of the imagination.
The prevailing logic has always been that if the Clippers want to sign Durant, they would have trade Blake Griffin, who would fit awkwardly with Durant and doesn't provide the defensive backbone of DeAndre Jordan. However, according to ESPN, the Clippers are trying to sell Durant on joining a Big Four — with Chris Paul, Griffin, and Jordan.
The means of doing this are quite difficult, as ESPN describes. Since the Clippers don't have the cap space to sign Durant outright, they would have to essentially clear their roster, renouncing the cap holds for Jamal Crawford, Jeff Green, and Austin Rivers, and trade valuable shooting guard JJ Redick. That would leave the Clippers with just 38-year-old Paul Piece, third-year guard C.J. Wilcox, and little-used forward Branden Dawson on the roster with the Big Three.
Then, perhaps, most steep of all, the Clippers would have to convince Durant to sign for less than the max since they still wouldn't have room for him. Durant's max with the Clippers would come in around four years, $115 million, and Paul, Jordan, and Griffin will all make over $20 million per year in 2016-17.
Despite all this, the Clippers appear serious about their pursuit. Markazi reports that they've invited Paul, Griffin, and Jordan to meet with Durant in New York as part of their pitch:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/748573351745040385
Multiple Clippers sources indicate Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan have been invited to Friday's meeting with KD in New York.
But there may already be a logistical hold-up.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/748573535367532544
The one big hiccup in that plan is Chris Paul is on a family vacation and may not be able to make it. The Clippers want all three there.
There's no doubting how potent a Paul-Durant-Griffin-Jordan foursome could be, but as has been proven time and again, even the most devastating superstar unions can't carry a team without proper support from role players.
Additionally, there's concern with both Griffin and Paul long-term as both went out of the playoffs with injuries. Griffin struggled with injuries throughout the 2015-16 season. Likewise, Paul is 31 and in the back-half of his prime. There's a possibility that Durant could be looking this injury-prone super-team at times, putting him no closer to a championship than he currently is with the Thunder.
Stranger things have happened in the NBA, and Durant joining the Clippers would make for a dynamic, versatile contender. However, when factoring in the measures to convince him to sign, including taking a pay cut, it doesn't seem feasible.
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