The 2018 NBA off-season concluded with the Philadelphia 76ers failing to acquire a legitimate NBA superstar to pair with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. The Sixers targeted LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George, but those superstars either stayed with their respective teams or headed somewhere else.
In their first game of the 2018-19 NBA season, the Sixers suffered an 18-point loss against their top Eastern Conference rivals, the Boston Celtics, proving that they are still a superstar away from achieving their main goal. However, despite failing to acquire a big name last off-season, the Sixers are expected to be major players once again in the 2019 NBA free agency.
One of their potential targets is Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors. According to Bobby Burack of The Big Lead , Durant may consider leaving the Warriors after the 2018-19 NBA season and try winning an NBA championship title with another team as the “undisputed Batman.” As he has now transitioned into “legacy building mode,” Burack believes the Sixers will be an ideal free agency destination for Durant.
“Most have not acknowledged it, but Durant has been so dominant in his career, so otherworldly in winning back-to-back Finals MVPs that he has become one of the greatest NBA players of all-time. Of course, this not what is said because he made the decision to join a 73-win unbeatable juggernaut that he could not beat up 3-1 just the year before. Therefore, in order for Durant to receive the credit he deserves, he will have to leave the Warriors but also go to a team he can win championships as the undisputed Batman.”
Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant lead Warriors past Thunder in festive opener https://t.co/l1LoPvi2I5
— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) October 17, 2018
Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are two of the fastest rising superstars in the league. From the time they set foot in the NBA, both young big men made a good impression on both ends of the floor. However, with the emergence of numerous “Super Teams,” the Sixers obviously need help to end their more than three decades of title drought.
Their roster, as currently constructed, is still not in a position to beat the healthy Celtics in a best-of-seven series. However, that narrative could change if they succeed in acquiring Kevin Durant next summer. Durant would undeniably be an incredible addition to the Sixers, giving them someone with whom they can trust the ball in crucial situations. Simmons and Embiid presumably wouldn’t mind serving as sidekicks to a player as great as KD.
Meanwhile, the departure of Kevin Durant from Golden State would dramatically change the NBA landscape and could make future NBA seasons less predictable and exciting.