Kevin Durant (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The NBA rumor mill is buzzing around Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant's next destination when the two-time NBA scoring champion hits the free agency next summer.
Durant, who has yet to sign any contract extension with OKC, could have a reunion with former teammate and now Houston Rockets franchise player James Harden when the All-Star MVP hits the free agent market next year.
Multiple teams are already linked with KD, but according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets will be a serious contender in landing Durant, giving the Texan team an opportunity to create a three-headed monster along with Harden and Dwight Howard.
With the NBA's TV deal set to kick next season, giving teams more luxury to sign their target players via a bloated salary cap, Smith claimed the Rockets will have every arsenal ready to attract Durant play for Houston.
Moreover, the report also hinted Durant's acknowledgement in what the Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and owner Leslie Alexander have done to the franchise by surrounding Harden with the necessary pieces to contend for another championship.
"They're trying to get a lot of guys here surrounding James," Durant said, before tasting their first defeat in the 2015-2016 NBA regular season at the hands of the Rockets. "They got some guys, they missed out on a few guys, but they still have a really, really good team."
However, other reports believe Durant may head to the capital of the United States - Washington - where he gets to play for his hometown and join another talented young point guard in John Wall.
Before the contract extension deadline for this season, the Washington Wizards have failed to secure two-guard Bradley Beal, who is on the final year of his contract.
SB Nation and CBS Sports hint that the reason Beal did not get locked up early is because the Wizards are preserving salary cap flexibility to cash in when Durant gets available in 2016.
Durant has been on a roll early in the season averaging 29.8 points on 48.1 percent shooting from the field, while grabbing 6.0 rebounds. His surgically repaired foot has not been bothering him so far, which gives the Thunder a great chance of getting back into title contention if he remains healthy.
Desperate teams who will have salary cap space like the Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks are expected to swing the fence hard when Durant officially opens his courting season, but the Thunder has been always a strong favorite to retain the 2014 MVP, especially if they make the playoffs this year.
