In news that will not come as much of a surprise to fans of the league, the Golden State Warriors are expected to go hard after soon to be free-agent Kevin Durant. While it would take some tinkering with the roster for sure, the thought of a team throwing out Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant in the starting lineup is sure to make the rest of the NBA shake in their boots.

While in all likelihood Durant will opt to stay with his current team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, as the NBA salary cap set to explode over the next two years. So for KD, from a financial standpoint, it makes much more sense to stay put for at least one more year. However, financial incentive may not be the only factor for the leagues former MVP. At the release of his latest sneaker, Durant was asked about his impending free-agency and his thoughts on the matter.

But, in order for the the Warriors to pull this off, some key pieces that have become mainstays in the Dubs rotation may have to be sent packing. Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston are all in the last year of their contracts, which means that the three of them could be moved relatively easily for other picks or pieces while at the same time freeing up the necessary cap space.

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However, there is still the matter of what to do with Festus Ezeli and Harrison Barnes. Both have been big parts of the rotation the past few seasons and both are set to be free agents starting on July 1st. But, after their respective play in the NBA Finals, there are some who believe that both should be shown the door.

Despite their rough performances in the Finals, Barnes was a key piece in the Warriors “Lineup of Death” that earned them their championship two seasons ago and when Bogut went down, Ezeli filled into the starting role. The team can certainly sign the pair for a greatly reduced price compared to what they could get on the open market, but whether or not either one will take a home town discount is yet to be seen.

Speculation will run wild up until July 1st when free agency officially begins, but fans have to remember that everything that they hear is exactly that, mere speculation. Over the past year there have been rumors flying around the KD will leave and sign with the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Warriors, Wizards, and now the Knicks.

So the one thing that everyone knows, is that no one actually knows whats going to happen with Durant. The Warriors will surely go at KD with all they have, but so will at least five other franchises from around the league. Only time will tell where the former Texas Longhorn will end up, but this will certainly be the main narrative of the summer.

The Collapse We’ll Remember Forever | WW Podcast 143