Kawhi Leonard or Kevin Durant could end up playing for the Los Angeles Clippers next season. On May 2, ClutchPoints senior editor and writer Ryan Ward tweeted the Clippers have the third-highest odds of signing Durant. They trail only the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks. The Clippers’ crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, are in fourth. Sign of the times for the #Lakers when both the #Knicks and the #Clippers have better odds to sign Kevin Durant. (Via @bookmaker_eu) pic.twitter.com/De0puHKBJJ — Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) May 2, 2019 The Knicks, Clippers, and Lakers also have a solid chance of landing Kawhi Leonard, per Ward. Only the Toronto Raptors, Leonard’s current team, stand in their way. Same goes for Kawhi Leonard. #Clippers and #Knicks also ahead of the #Lakers in the odds to land Kawhi Leonard. (Via @bookmaker_eu) pic.twitter.com/UF2cgn7hqz — Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) May 2, 2019 Kevin Durant has a player option worth $31.5 million for the 2019-20 NBA season. Should he exercise this option, he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Members of the New York media have been vocal in expressing interest in Durant. The Knicks have also been linked to Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving, a New Jersey native. The Clippers could use somebody like Durant. They finished with a 48-34 (.585) win-loss record and secured the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, Durant and the Warriors beat them in six games. Durant averaged a gaudy 35.0 points in the series. Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard SHOCK update from NBA insider on Lakers and Clippers https://t.co/ABxMJ2mUff pic.twitter.com/vqjy4LqXTF — The Us Posts (@theusapost21) April 25, 2019 Kawhi Leonard, who has a player option worth $21.3 million for 2019-20, is another attractive option for Steve Ballmer’s team. Both he and Durant represent an upgrade over starting small forward Danilo Gallinari. It’s been a while since the Clippers have had a high-caliber player at the 3 spot. The most notable names are Lamar Odom and Corey Maggette. The Clippers can’t go wrong with either Durant or Leonard. Los Angeles is a big market. The Clippers also have a good foundation with Gallinari, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, and Ivica Zubac around. If they can add a big-name free agent next season, they will make major strides.<doc-sep>The 2019 NBA free agent class is star-studded and is going to radically alter the landscape of the league one way or another. The top two names on most people's list are Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, both of whom will reportedly consider signing with the Brooklyn Nets. From Anthony Puccio of SportsNet New York: Several league sources have told SNY that top-tier free agents, including Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Tobias Harris, will at least consider Brooklyn this upcoming July when it's time to find their next home -- if they decide to leave. "Making the playoffs definitely helped their chances," one source said. If the Nets were to renounce all their upcoming free agents, including D'Angelo Russell, and find a taker for Allen Crabbe's contract (which they should be able to do around draft time by attaching some draft picks), they would have the salary cap room to add two max free agents. The Nets are clearly an organization on the rise after making the playoffs this year and completely changing the culture under head coach Kenny Atkinson, general manager Sean Marks and a new ownership group. "The process we went through this year -- and there's a lot of positives that've come out of this year -- can only help," Marks said at his exit interview. "It's going to attract free agents. People are going to want to play here. They're going to want to play for Kenny [Atkinson], they're going to want to play in Brooklyn, they're going to play for this ownership group. We have a lot of things going for us." It has been heavily speculated that Durant, in particular, is a good bet to sign with the New York Knicks, who also have the capacity to add two max players this summer. But you can understand the intrigue of the Nets, and frankly, considering only what is in place right now, they are in a better position to win than the Knicks. Some people are wondering whether the results of this year's playoff run with the Warriors will impact K.D. 's decision to stay with the team or cut ties and move on. "I think he's gone [from Golden State] either way," a league exec told CBS Sports.<doc-sep>Photo : Jae C. Hong ( AP Photo ) Kevin Durant had one of those games on Friday against the Clippers that superstars put out to remind opponents just how much better they are than everyone else. As these players are wont to do in these kinds of games, Durant imposed his will on the Clippers in the first half, dropping 38 points on 12-of-17 shooting. It was not only his career-high for points in a half, but it was just one point shy of Sleepy Floyd’s record for most points in a postseason half. Advertisement Durant would finish with 50 points, six rebounds and five assists in the deciding Game 6 match up that sent Golden State to the second round. What elevated the impressive nature of this performance was its timing. On paper, the Clippers—a team that by all accounts was a surprise postseason entrant—should not have hung on to win any games against the Warriors, let alone two. Yet, through god-like performances and some incredible defensive pestering, they were able to do it. Most notably was the fact that Los Angeles took Game 5 against Golden State when the team was down 3-1, a feat that hadn’t been done against the Warriors since the Cavaliers did it in the 2016 finals. Being forced to a sixth game started to raise doubts about the team that had already been crowned champion before the season started. Durant stepped in and showed out in a way that didn’t just stop the team’s bleeding, but also reinforced the inevitability of a Warriors-led destruction of the league. There was at least an argument a few days ago that the Rockets could go toe-to-toe with the reigning champs; now it feels like a question of whether the series will go four games or five. Durant’s performance can really only be compared to LeBron James’s Game 6 against the Celtics in 2012. It’s worth noting that LeBron’s performance came with his team down 3-2 in the series, but in terms of Durant’s focus level, supernatural scoring ability and overall control, it’s the only showing that immediately comes to mind. Though perhaps Steve Kerr might be a better voice to put things in perspective than my own given the teammates he’s had over the years. He called it “one of the great performances I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve seen some good ones.” But even with the historical context and high praise from those who really know what they’re talking about when it comes to the greats of this sport, reporters still wondered if maybe the Clippers could have done something to try and prevent this performance from happening. Patrick Beverely was understandably incredulous towards the question, and all Lou Williams could say was “I promise we tried.” Advertisement Advertisement There’s no better mark of an all-time performance than when even what the opposing team says about it adds to its myth.<doc-sep>Welcome back to the NBA Playoffs Star Power Index -- a weekly gauge of the players who are controlling the postseason buzz. Note: Inclusion on this list isn't necessarily a good thing. It simply means you're capturing the NBA world's attention. Also, this is not a ranking. The players listed are in no particular order as it pertains to the buzz they're generating. This column will run every week through the end of the Finals. James Harden BKN • SG • 13 PPG 29.0 APG 7.1 SPG 2.1 3P/G 4 View Profile Harden said he "barely could see" after briefly leaving Houston's Game 2 loss to the Warriors with a lacerated left eyelid. Harden gutted it out and still managed to score 29 points on relatively efficient shooting marks, but the Rockets are still in a 2-0 hole and now face what is, in all reality, a must-win in Game 3 on Saturday back in Houston. The Rockets already have to win four of the next five games to win this series. There is no chance they are coming back from a 3-0 deficit. Harden and the Rockets made headlines after their Game 1 loss as well, effectively blaming the officiating and the multiple 3-point attempts on which they felt they were fouled but that went uncalled. Harden said he just wanted a "fair chance" against the Warriors, which had a lot of people shaking their head at the irony of a guy who has spent years completely blurring the line between what is and isn't a foul, duping refs right and left and benefiting outrageously for it, talking about fair chances. Ask yourself: Is this a fair chance? The good news is the officials were no part of the story in Game 2, as it should be. Everyone thought there was going to be more fireworks when Scott Foster was assigned to the game, because of the Rockets' history with Foster and Harden having said he shouldn't even be allowed to officiate Houston's games any more because of his bias against them. But there were no fireworks. Just good, hard playoff basketball on both sides. If the Rockets thought pleading for more calls was their way to get back in this series, they better figure out a new strategy before Game 3. Kawhi Leonard LAC • SF • 2 PPG 31.3 APG 3.3 SPG 1.3 3P/G 2.857 View Profile Kawhi Leonard played nine games for the San Antonio Spurs two years ago. He came to Toronto this season and was great, but still flew somewhat under the radar because he was "load managed" a lot and it's the regular season and all that. But, man, these playoffs have been a slap-in-the-face reminder that Kawhi is still absolutely in that "best player in the world" conversation. It's a big distinction between that level and just an All-Star level, which is what Toronto was getting out of DeMar DeRozan. Kawhi is with Kevin Durant and LeBron James in that he can do whatever he wants on the court, on both ends. He's getting to spots for mid-range jumpers. He's posting and going to the rim. He's hitting 3s at an absurd rate. He's all over defensively. For the playoffs, Leonard is averaging a career-best 31.3 points on -- you ready for this? -- 58 percent shooting overall, including 47 percent from deep on more than six attempts a game. In the second round against Philly, he's averaging 40 points a game after going for 45 in Game 1 and 35 in Game 2. "Everything has come together for Toronto," a scout told CBS Sports after the Raptors' Game 1 win over the 76ers. "They make the move for Marc [Gasol], and you can see the defense he's bringing in the paint and the passing, you see [Pascal] Siakam taking off. But Kawhi is just on another level right now. He's been the best player in the playoffs in my eyes. Him and Durant." The Raptors took a home loss in Game 2 to the Sixers and are now headed back to Philadelphia having lost the home-court advantage for the time being. Game 3 is Thursday night. Kevin Durant BKN • SF • 7 PPG 34.3 RPG 5.3 BPG 1.3 View Profile If this is Durant's last run with the Warriors, what a way to go out. K.D. is flat-out dominating, averaging 34.4 points in the playoffs (by far his career high) on 52 percent shooting and 40 percent from 3. Over the years the debate has raged on as to whether the Warriors are Durant's team or Stephen Curry's. They'll always be Curry's team in the hearts of the fans and certainly at any point he can, and often does, become the focal point of what they do. But for all functional purposes right now, Durant is the man in Golden State. "To me it's like this: Durant is a guy that is going to take you to the Finals year after year," an Eastern Conference scout recently told CBS Sports. "I mean, winning a title, that's kind of its own story. So much has to go right. But being there year after year, in position, Durant gives you that stability because what he brings is so dependable. He can get any shot he wants any time, and it's always a good shot. It's like LeBron. Nothing changes for them in the playoffs. The defense gets tougher, it's more physical, and those guys are still able to do what they do. You look at a guy like Steph, or James Harden, you can win a title with those guys as your best player, but I think it's more like a one in four or five years-type thing. They get on a run and you ride it. But Durant, it's there every single year, every game. The consistency is the difference." Giannis Antetokounmpo MIL • PF • 34 PPG 26.0 RPG 11.0 BPG 1.3 View Profile<doc-sep>
NBA rumors: Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard to consider signing with Nets originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com Should Kevin Durant elect to hit the free agent market this summer -- and by all accounts he will -- the Warriors star will have no shortage of suitors. But we knew that. If Durant, who has the option to opt out of contract at the end of the season, does choose to test the market, most assume he will have to decide between staying in the Bay or taking his talent to the Big Apple to play with the New York Knicks. But don't count out the other team in The Empire State. After making the playoffs in Year 3 of GM Sean Marks' rebuild, the Brooklyn Nets will be big-game hunting for a star this summer. The Nets are a much more attractive destination than some might think, and Durant, as well as Kawhi Leonard and Tobias Harris, reportedly "will consider" signing with Brooklyn this summer, SNY's Anthony Puccio reported Tuesday, citing league sources. The Nets were one of the surprise teams of the NBA season, as D'Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert and Co. grabbed the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. While the Nets were handled pretty easily by the Philadelphia 76ers in Round 1, making the playoffs apparently helped their cause with big-name free agents, a source told Puccio. The Nets, of course, will have to get in line to sign either star. Durant is expected to be pursued by the Knicks, Lakers, Clippers and Warriors, while Leonard reportedly wants to head back to his hometown of Los Angeles to play for one of the two franchises in Tinseltown. The Clippers reportedly have dreams of signing both KD and Leonard, which would be one of the biggest free-agent hauls in NBA history. One report claims they have a better than 50 percent chance at pulling off their dream scenario. [RELATED: Warriors-Rockets is a wrap, and in less than seven games] Both Durant and Leonard are focused on bringing their current team an NBA title and not where they will put pen to paper come July. Leonard and the Toronto Raptors currently find themselves locked in a 1-1 tie with the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, while Durant and the two-time defending champion Warriors have grabbed a 2-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets. As the NBA playoffs drag on, the Nets, Clippers, Knicks and Lakers can only sit, watch and dream about the summer they hope to have. While the Warriors hope a potential third straight title will be enough to keep KD in the Bay.