OKC meets with Kevin Durant; Warriors up next
All-Stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson are scheduled to join the Warriors’ top brass in New York on Friday for a meeting that they hope will lure Durant from the only franchise he has known.
Durant has played each of his nine seasons for the Thunder (who were the Seattle SuperSonics when they drafted him second overall in 2007), winning four scoring titles and earning seven All-Star Game berths.
Thunder assistant general manager Troy Weaver held open a door at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, so it wouldn’t lock behind him as he and GM Sam Presti welcomed Durant, his agent, Rich Kleiman, and his business manager, Charlie Bell, on Thursday morning.
The group met behind closed doors from about 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PDT, and the Thunder are slated to get the last word after the meetings shift to New York this weekend, according to ESPN reports.
Oklahoma City remains the strong favorite to retain Durant, but he has granted sit-downs with the Warriors, Celtics, Clippers, Heat and Spurs.
The other teams’ “Big Four” prospects have more flaws than the Warriors’ plan, even though Golden State’s would require trading center Andrew Bogut and filling the roster with minimum-contract players.
The Celtics are expected to take a more emotional run and dangle the possibility of wearing Reggie Lewis’ retired No. 35 jersey at the Garden, and Heat President Pat Riley is expected to let his nine championship rings do some of the talking.