Thursday Bolts – 6.30.16

Zach Lowe of ESPN.com: “Clippers coach Doc Rivers has talked publicly about keeping

the gang together in Los Angeles, and even the much-discussed Griffin-Durant sign-and-trade is unwieldy; any player acquired in a sign-and-trade must sign for at least three seasons, meaning Durant would forfeit the one-year-deal route in agreeing to that arrangement.”

Anthony Slater: “Would Horford be worth all of that? He’s a four-time All-Star, a double-digit per night scorer, an adept passer and one of the league’s smartest defenders. Plus he’d seem to fit beautifully into Billy Donovan’s familiar system. Horford played three seasons under Donovan at Florida and won two national titles. The two remain close. There’s no telling which direction OKC will go. But it’s clear that Sam Presti is formulating some intriguing options just in time to present them to Durant on Friday.”

Darren Hartwell of NESN.com: “The Celtics boast one of the league’s best young coaches in Brad Stevens, a talented young roster and a wealth of future draft picks. They’ll likely have shuffle their roster to make room for Durant, but this is a team that could be good for a long time with KD at the helm. Durant also would have the benefit of playing in the Eastern Conference, where the only legitimate threat is a Cleveland Cavaliers team led by 31-year-old LeBron James. But … The present is brighter for the Warriors and Spurs, who both enjoyed the best seasons in their franchises’ history. OKC also came within one game of the NBA Finals this season and arguably just got better after trading Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic.”

The Thunder are after Al Horford?

Andrew Lynch of Fox Sports on why your team isn’t signing KD: “Kevin Durant won’t sign with the Warriors because he’s loyal to the Thunder, because he can get the most money long-term by signing a one-year deal back in OKC this summer, and because Durant saw firsthand just how annoying Golden State is with its arrogance and brash on-court demeanor. You don’t join forces with a budding rival.”

Here’s a thing about the Thunder’s plan to re-sign KD.

OKC’s playing two preseason games in Spain next season.

Ben Golliver of SI.com ranks his top 50 free agents: “A player of considerable understatement. Watch the Hawks on occasion and you may gloss over Horford’s subtle defensive positioning, heady passing and gravity on the perimeter. Tune in on a more regular basis and his influence becomes glaring. Some players are simply best appreciated in volume, when the whole of their contributions form more complete trends. It’s no mistake that most teammates seem to fare better when Horford is around; his skill set slides neatly into whatever a coach aims to run and complements players of all kinds. That in itself is rare and attractive. Never discount the value of a player who opens up the playbook and a world of lineup constructions rather than limit them, especially as a hyper-flexible big.”

Berry Tramel: “It’s a tired old theme that Westbrook isn’t a true point guard. From the likes of Stephen A. Smith suggesting the Thunder should sign Mike Conley to play point guard and move Westbrook to shooting guard, to analysts who exalt Chris Paul as the shining citadel of what a point guard should be, to otherwise sharp fans gushing over the Thunder’s play but suggesting that OKC could prosper even more with a true point guard, many can’t seem to accept Westbrook as quarterback. So they’re going to recoil at the notion that Westbrook is anything close to purity. No disrespect, but I have two questions. 1. Is anyone watching these games? 2. Does anyone analyze the results of these games?”