NBA Trade Rumors 2016: Kevin Durant Headed For Golden State Warriors, Jordan Clarkson Possibly Preparing for the LA Lakers
Two of today's NBA standouts are possibly leaving their long-time teams behind before the trade deadline in February.
Firstly, Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant is rumored to be headed for the 2015 NBA Champions Golden State Warriors. In a report by Dan Feldman for NBC Sports, while nothing has been confirmed, league sources say that Durant is likely headed for the Oakland-based team.
The report adds, however, that it would take a lot of work before the mere possibility of signing Durant could be entertained, as it all depends on the space left on the team's $90 million salary cap. Durant's salary is reported to be around $30 million already.
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"The Warriors could also try swapping Barnes for Durant in a dual sign-and-trade. That'd trigger a hard cap, but that's the least of the complications. Durant, Barnes and the Thunder would all have to agree," an excerpt of Feldman's report reads.
The 27-year old Durant is currently averaging 26.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. The other player rumored to be leaving his team is Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson.
In a report by Danny Cox for the Inquisitr, there is a possibility that another team may acquire the 23-year old Filipino-American professional basketball player, given his current salary. In another report by the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers are looking to hold Clarkson's early bird rights.
This enables the team to spend up to $6 million, and $26.7 million over four NBA seasons. The report adds, however, that other teams may very well offer him a better deal: $5.9 million in the second year, then possibly a dramatic jump to $22.7 million and $23.6 million in the third and fourth years, respectively.
This amounts to a total of $57.8 million ($14.5 million on average).
Currently on his second year with Los Angeles, Clarkson is averaging 14.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, as the Lakers hold a 7-27 record.
