Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard (Photo : Twitter)
The NBA Rumors are still rife with Kevin Durant destinations. Practically every team with cap space has been discussed.
Aside from the Washington Wizards who are running out of reasons except for the hometown factor, other free agent contenders are the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and known free agent seekers New York Knicks and LA Lakers. Then of course, there's the NBA "nightmare" (for the other teams)-the Golden State Warriors.
But the truth is theoretically, more than half the league has cap space to sign a max free agent and any team in the league would love to have Kevin Durant, hence, the Warriors rumors.
One team that was written off before the season has become the hottest team since the All-Star break. The main reason is the biggest All-Star snub, Damian Lillard. The Weber State standout led his team with 51 points against no less than the Warriors, handing them their worst defeat of the season-a 32 point demolition job.
In a Hoops Habit article, they discussed the Blazers and their possible bright future, especially since they might make the playoffs even with their relatively weak roster.
"While (Blazers GM Neil) Olshey tried to salvage a roster depleted from multiple impactful departures, Stotts has implemented his system - which has created unexpected success."
This success could be the selling point they could use for Durant, or any other free agent for that matter. With Lillard and CJ McCollum presenting themselves as a worthy-rival to the Splash Brothers (shooting-wise, at least), it could make a free agent think twice.
Joining a team with a competitive system, an All-Star point guard and a shooter along with value players like Ed Davis could prove to be an ideal set-up for a star like Durant.
This was already explored more than a year ago by A Substitute For War, but that was before LaMarcus Aldridge, Nic Batum and Wes Matthews left, also Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo.
This might be a completely different team, but it could be argued that the Blazers are in better shape than the LA Lakers, who need to win the lottery to be relevant, or the Houston Rockets who has their stars reportedly feuding.
The Blazers are well-supported in their city, being the only professional sports team. Even LaMarcus Aldridge knew that being a star in Portland gets the royal treatment.
For players not too pressured to become title chasers, the Blazers are a viable option. Rising stars should consider them and even Kevin Durant should not scratch them off his list.
