Odds Favor Kevin Durant Leaving Warriors for Lakers in 2019
- A public feud between Golden State Warriors teammates Kevin Durant and Draymond Green unfolded during an NBA game at the Staples Center
- The spat has further fueled speculation that Durant will leave the Warriors when he becomes a free agent at season’s end
- Oddsmakers are offering a prop bet on this situation
Kevin Durant’s courtside argument with Golden State Warriors teammate Draymond Green, unfolding as it did in a public forum in front of the eyes of the basketball world, has only served to ramp up talk that Durant will bolt from the defending NBA champions when his contract is up at the end of the season.
Here is the full KD-Draymond exchange. It's 3 minutes of KD being passively aggressively angry and Draymond just yelling non-stop.
In other words, it sums both up perfectly. https://t.co/EQdWrdqKwzhttps://t.co/3ApZ3pqiPs
— Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) November 13, 2018
Bookies are out with a prop bet speculating on which team’s uniform Durant will be wearing on opening night of the 2019-20 NBA season.
Kevin Durant’s Team For Game 1 of 2019-20 NBA Season
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Lakers | +300 |
| Golden State Warriors | +350 |
| New York Knicks | +500 |
| Washington Wizards | +650 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +1200 |
| New Jersey Nets | +1200 |
Family Feud Or Final Straw?
According to published reports, the rift between Durant and Green carried on into the locker room, where Green supposedly told Durant that the team could win without him and would continue to win if he left.
Draymond Green reportedly dared Kevin Durant to leave the Warriors, saying they don't need him https://t.co/qCIBWsNIuX pic.twitter.com/Im3o2RH7pU
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 16, 2018
The Warriors backed Durant in this feud, fining Green and suspending him one game for conduct detrimental to the team.
Will Fight Lead To Durant’s Flight?
During the summer, Durant denied reports that he’d already talked to LeBron James about joining the Los Angeles Lakers next season.
“That’s why I’m out”
-KD after the fight with Draymond Green pic.twitter.com/504YnoR6lk— Rich Ohrnberger (@ohrnberger) November 14, 2018
If Durant is headed out the door, the Lakers certainly make sense as a landing point. Who wouldn’t want to suit up alongside James, the NBA’s best player?
Kevin Durant is keeping the altercation with Draymond Green in-house. pic.twitter.com/wG7bRFbUKZ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 14, 2018
But don’t count out the New York Knicks as a potential Durant destination. Durant has often expressed a fondness for Madison Square Garden.
His dad is a Knicks fan, and his business partner is New York-based. Next season, the Knicks will have cap space to sign someone to a max contract and still have room for another free agent.
If Durant wants what he has in Golden State with Steph Curry – a devastating 1-2 punch – then the Lakers make sense. But if he desires to be the guy, then the Knicks are the best bet.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
