With still one and half season to go before he hits the free-agency market, Kevin Durant is already drawing tremendous interest from multiple teams, including big market franchises Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.
While many still think it's going to be a two-team race between his current team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and home town ball club, the Washington Wizards, the Toronto Raptors shouldn't be counted out as potential destination for the reigning MVP.
From being perennial whipping boys, the Raptors have steadily become one of the best up-and-coming teams in the league, despite not boasting a superstar. All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry has emerged as the focal leader for the Raptors this season, but the success they are enjoying so far is a product of excellent teamwork on both ends of the floor.
Toronto's rise into a playoff contender cannot be achieved without the brilliance of general manager Masai Ujiri, who made a series of smart moves that keep the team in right direction in achieving both its short and long-term goals.
Last season, the Raptors made a run to end its five-year playoff drought and then pushed the seasoned Brooklyn Nets to the limit in their seven-game first-round series. This year, Dwayne Casey's guys are looking for an ambitious run deep into the playoffs, though only few think they can go all the way to the finals.
Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star reported the Raptors are planning to add more ammunition to their lineup incase they fell short again in the postseason. It's no secret they are setting their sight right on Marc Gasol, when he becomes a free-agent next summer. However, the team is also gunning for a bigger fish the following year, when a certain Kevin Durant becomes the top-prize of a very loaded free-agency class of 2016.
"Raptors GM Masai Ujiri does his evaluation in small chunks, normally, six games at a time. The larger MLSE apparatus thinks longer term. The most ambitious of those macro ambitions involves luring Durant to Toronto," according to Cathal Kelly of the Star.
Do the Raptors have a chance to compete with the traditional free-agency magnets like the Lakers and the Knicks? Or the lure of stability the Thunder and the Wizards present?
The answer would be yes, because the Raptors have a right mix of veterans and youth to support Durant in his drive for a title. Not to mention he once dreamed of playing for the Raptors, Ujiri's presence ensure the Raptors are going to stay as a force to reckon with for more years to come, and that makes them another intriguing option for KD in 2016.
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