Sources: Kevin Durant will be Warriors' top target in free agency
— -- The Golden State Warriors, after their NBA Finals defeat, are going ahead with their long-held plans to pursue Kevin Durant in free agency, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN that Durant is by no means Golden State's lone target in free agency but stressed that he'll indeed be the Warriors' top target when the offseason marketplace opens July 1.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob, without addressing Durant specifically so as not to violate league rules that prohibit such discussion before July 1, said Sunday night on his way out of Oracle Arena: "All I can say is that I will be very aggressive."
The Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are widely regarded as the league's two top threats to the Oklahoma City Thunder's attempts to keep Durant this summer.
Sources say that the Warriors and Spurs are on the short list of teams expected to secure a face-to-face meeting with Durant when he allows a select number of teams to court him once free agency starts.
ESPN reported earlier this month that the most likely scenario for Durant is signing a two-year deal with Oklahoma City that includes a player option to return to free agency in the summer of 2017 alongside Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook.
But Golden State's unexpected loss to Cleveland in the Finals -- in which the Warriors became the first team in history to fail to win the championship after seizing a 3-1 series lead -- could improve the Warriors' odds of convincing Durant to join them.
The Warriors have eight unrestricted free agents of their own, including swingman Harrison Barnes and center Festus Ezeli, both of whom are expected to attract significant attention from rival teams this summer.
Durant addressed his pending free agency Monday, acknowledging that "it's a little bit complicated right now" but also stressing that he ultimately is "worried about basketball."
"That's what it is for me," he said. "It's a basketball decision."
Asked what he meant by a "basketball decision," Durant said it's not necessarily about the spotlight or the money.
ESPN's Royce Young contributed to this report.
