The NBA free agency rumors now involve the team with the best regular season record of all time.
The Golden State Warriors are not busy with retaining their own free agents-they are actively shopping, and they want no less than the best.
For those who would not believe that the Warriors would seriously, they are already one of the first three teams to schedule a "face to face" meeting with Kevin Durant according to Marc Stein of ESPN.
"The Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and incumbent Oklahoma City Thunder are the first three known teams to secure face-to-face meetings with free agent-to-be Kevin Durant, starting next weekend, according to league sources," Stein reported.
There would definitely be a horde of teams that would try to have some face-time with KD before NBA free agency officially commences July 1 at 12:01 am, but for now, it's only between those three teams.
However, the Warriors are not placing all their eggs in one basket. As Warriors owner Joe Lacob declared that they will be "very aggressive" this offseason, they also want to improve a glaring issue that cost them the NBA championship - interior defense and rebounding.
For most of the regular season, the Warriors superior offense offset this hole in the middle. They can get by with Draymond Green's hustle because the Splash Brothers' shooting can outscore anyone. When the shots don't fall, they need to defend the other team.
This is why they have decided to expand their shopping list as Marcus Thompson from Mercury News reported.
"According to sources familiar with free agent talks, the Warriors are looking at Al Horford, Joakim Noah and even Hassan Whiteside. The contract demands might be too hefty but the goal is clear. The Warriors can't thrive with a center that doesn't attack the rim or score inside," Thompson wrote.
In the past NBA playoffs, the Warriors struggled to execute the pick and roll because their opponents didn't bother to guard Festus Ezeli and Andrew Bogut. On the other end, the Warriors could not stop Kevin Durant or LeBron James at the rim.
Most pundits would say that Whiteside does not fit the Warriors' culture because of his history but he has proven himself with the Miami Heat. Steve Kerr could utilize his speed and athleticism to become a monstrous offensive player.