LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love and DeAndre Jordan headlined the 2015 free agent class with Love going back to Cleveland, Aldridge bolting for San Antonio and Jordan returning to Los Angeles (only after completely sabotaging the Dallas Mavericks attempt to build a championship contender). With the 2015-16 season right around the corner, the focus has already shifted to next year’s free agent class with Kevin Durant set to headline the crop. Here is a look at who’ll be the most coveted UFA’s in the summer of 2016.
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant missed almost all of last season because of injury but he is back to full strength. He isn’t expected to miss any time at the start of this year in what could be his final season in Oklahoma City. The 2014 NBA MVP will turn 27 years old this September and there is no doubt he will be the most highly coveted player if he reaches the open market. The Thunder re-signed Enes Kanter but the roster is almost identical to last season’s group with Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka back as the core three.
Nobody truly believes that the Thunder would let Durant walk but there are some questions about whether he’d want to stay. He could opt to play in a bigger market and make more money off of endorsements. There are also those who say that him and Russell Westbrook don’t mesh particularly well on the court. We’ll have to see what happens this season. If they win a championship and everything is fine, then Durant isn’t going anywhere. But if Billy Donovan turns out to be a bust, there’s friction between him and Westbrook and the Thunder miss the playoffs again, he could opt to explore his options in free agency.
Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks were forced to choose between Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll this summer and there is a good chance they were looking ahead to next summer when they acquired Tiago Splitter from the Spurs. Horford will make $12 million with Atlanta this season and while the team would love to bring him back, there is no guarantee the two sides will be able to reach a deal. Horford will turn 30 next summer and if he can stay healthy and match his averages of 15.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game that he put up last season, he will be the most highly coveted big man on the open market in the summer of 2016.
Mike Conley Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis looked like a legitimate NBA title contender before Conley suffered facial fractures in the opening round of last year’s playoffs and while they managed to bring back Marc Gasol this summer, there is no guarantee they will be able to bring back Conley if they don’t make a serious postseason run next spring.
Conley turns 28 in October and will be a valuable piece on the open market as a free agent. He’ll garner plenty of interest around the league thanks to his play at both ends of the floor. The Grizzlies will do everything they can to bring him back but with interest from around the league and the fact that Memphis hasn’t been able to get over the hump could come down to Conley’s desire to win and where he thinks he has the best opportunity to challenge for an NBA championship.
[related_post_one]
Al Jefferson, Charlotte Hornets
The fact that the Hornets have one of the highest payrolls in the NBA is downright scary but it does send a clear message that they are committed to getting in to the playoffs. The additions of Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lin and Frank Kaminsky will help but looking ahead to next summer, there is no guarantee they will want to bring back Jefferson. The Hornets believe Zeller and Kaminsky can be core franchise players and Jefferson will be 31 when he hits the open market next summer. Charlotte could very well choose to bring him back at the right price but remember he was injured in the 2013-14 playoffs and then was banged up last year too, only playing 65 games. If he can’t get back to his 20 and 10 level, they’ll probably let him walk.
