NBA Rumors: Hawks Intend To Make ‘Strong Push’ For Kevin Durant

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Kevin Durant sweepstakes have begun with many teams in the league set to take aim at the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar once he hits the open market on July 1. Durant will be the most sought-after player in NBA free agency this summer with many teams hoping to convince him to jump ship after an epic collapse in the Western Conference Finals against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

According to Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Atlanta Hawks will be among the teams aggressively pursuing Durant next month:

The Hawks, led by owner Tony Ressler, are expected to make a strong push for Durant.

Atlanta could be on the verge of making some drastic changes over the summer with Al Horford and company clearly a step or two behind the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. Although the Hawks played well last season and were able to get back into contention for the East crown this year, Atlanta simply isn’t good enough to contend with the best of the best in either conference and will be nothing more than an above average team unless changes are made moving forward.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, Atlanta has never been an attractive destination for big-name free agents like Kevin Durant. The Hawks have always been a team built through the draft with the occasional talented role player coming along every once in awhile.

At this point, it is a long shot to say the least that the Hawks would be able to convince Durant to leave Oklahoma City for Atlanta. Anything is possible, but it remains highly unlikely that the Hawks will be a significant threat to the Thunder or any other teams showing interest in Durant this summer.