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NBA Free Agency Rumors: Kevin Durant to meet with Thunder first, Dwyane Wade willing to listen and Dwight Howard suitors

21:34:00




CLEVELAND, Ohio — While NBA free agency is still a few days away, set to open Friday at 12:01 a.m. ET, there is already plenty of chatter.


LeBron James will be a free agent once again, choosing to opt out of his contract. But James told our Joe Vardon he isn’t planning to go anywhere. That leaves Kevin Durant as the biggest off-season prize.


The rumor mill is already churning and likely won’t slow down for another couple of weeks.


Get up to date on the latest news and rumors here:


Durant to meet with teams this weekend


The suitors are lining up, trying to get meetings with Durant. The Golden State Warriors are going “all in” and the Western Conference champs are set to meet with him on Friday afternoon, according to Marc Spears of The Undefeated.


There are five other teams expected to meet with Durant as well — Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami and Boston. The Knicks are still trying to get a seat at the table, but have been unsuccessful. 


If New York can line up a sit-down, it won’t have to go far. 



One meeting, the one with OKC, will take place Thursday before the frenzy begins, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.



Dwyane Wade thinking about leaving Miami?


The three-time NBA champion is currently vacationing with James and Chris Paul, on another banana boat excursion. However, that doesn’t mean things are quiet on the business front.


According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Wade’s initial discussions with Miami haven’t gone well, and he is willing to listen to other offers when free agency opens.


Wade has spent his entire 13-year career with the Heat, but only signed a one-year deal last off-season after contract negotiations didn’t go as well as hoped.


Miami has about $40 million in cap space, but wants to keep financial flexibility in hopes of luring Durant to South Beach. The Heat also have decisions to make on free agents Hassan Whiteside and Luol Deng, among others.


There’s always temptation to envision Wade re-joining James — this time in Cleveland — but the cap-strapped Cavaliers would need Wade to take an enormous paycut. With him coming off a strong regular season, guiding the Heat into the postseason, that seems highly improbable. 


Dwight Howard set for face-to-face meetings


In search of a fresh start, away from the Houston Rockets and James Harden, Howard declined his $23.2 million player option with the Rockets and will once again be an unrestricted free agent.


According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard and Marc Stein, two teams have already scheduled a meeting with the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.


While the Celtics and Atlanta Hawks are going to get the first crack at Howard, who is coming off the worst year of his career, the 30-year-old center is expected to negotiate with as many as five clubs.


Those other teams haven’t been revealed just yet.


Wizards move on 


The Wizards have been planning for this summer, hoping to bring Durant — a Washington D.C. native — home. Hey, the plan worked for the Cavs with James.


In this case, the circumstances are different. Durant never started his career with Washington and the Wizards, coming off disappointing 41-41 season, won’t even get a meeting with the summer prize.


They have turned their attention elsewhere. ESPN’s Marc Stein reports other names on the Washington wish list include Nicolas Batum, Al Horford and Ryan Anderson, a player the Wizards tried to acquire at the February trade deadline.


76ers showing strong interest in Barnes


Loaded with money to spend, the 76ers are expected to be aggressive this off-season. One name reportedly at the top of their list is Warriors restricted forward Harrison Barnes.


The 24-year-old swingman is coming off a tough Finals appearance, but put up a career-high 11.7 points in the regular season and was a key piece of Golden State’s Death Lineup.


Barnes’ future is tied to Durant. The Warriors have the right to match any offer for Barnes, but winning the Durant sweepstakes takes precedence. If the Warriors can’t lure Durant to the Bay Area then re-signing Barnes, the No. 7 pick in the 2012 draft, becomes more likely.


A four-year max deal for Barnes would cost the Sixers a little more than $90 million. If he signs that kind of offer sheet on July 8, when the moratorium is lifted, then the Warriors will have three days to match. 


Warriors to pursue Joakim Noah


After squandering a 3-1 series lead in The NBA Finals, the Warriors have made it known that changes are coming. 


But what happens if Durant goes elsewhere or stays in Oklahoma City?


Beyond re-signing Barnes, the Warriors will be looking for big-man help. According to Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders, the Warriors are expected to take a run at Joakim Noah, the former Defensive Player of the Year who has missed 68 games in the past two seasons. 


There’s already bad blood between the Cavs and Warriors. This would take it to another level, as Noah, a known villain, has taken jabs at Cleveland and James in the past. 





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NBA Free Agency Rumors: Kevin Durant to meet with Thunder first, Dwyane Wade willing to listen and Dwight Howard suitors

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