The OKC Thunder have Kevin Durant hitting free agency on the horizon and he is expected to be a target for teams like the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors on the market and this comes as the team will likely not trade Russell Westbrook no matter what happens with Durant as a free agent, while Cameron Payne is considered a top draft target for the team.
Durant is going to be the main free agent target in 2016 along with Kevin Love and he will be looked at by other teams if the Thunder let him hit the market. Durant may want to hit the market even if it's his intentions to stay in OKC, but the team clearly will be worried if that happens. According to CBS Sports, the Mimi Heat want to keep the salary cap open so they can chase Durant and that may cause Dwyane Wade to opt out and leave South Beach.
The Miami Herald reports that the Heat are planning to go after Durant in 2016 and that is why they are taking a hard line with Wade on his next contract. The report says that the team wants to avoid having "limited financial flexibility" moving forward and that they hope Wade will take a "below market deal" on his next contract. Wade reportedly wants a three year deal at around $20 million per season, while the Heat have offered around $40 million for three years.
Wade has taken less money multiple times and now the guard is looking to make some of that back on the back end. The team does not want to be saddled with a big contract like the Lakers with Kobe Bryant, but in doing so they may alienate the biggest star the franchise has had (apart from LeBron, but he's not there anymore). Wade has taken less money to get James and Chris Bosh to South Beach and he also has taken less money on other occasions, including when he opted out of his last deal and when the team was able to keep Udonis Haslem.
The Thunder have some major questions moving forward, as Westbrook may want out eventually if Durant leaves and the team also has a new head coach in Billy Donovan. Durant likely will get a hard push to stay and that may happen, but the Wizards and Heat are going to go hard after him and that could be enough to sway him to leave. Wade is likely opting out of his deal and if that happens, there is a chance he could leave Miami. The team doesn't want that to happen, but they have Durant as their pipe dream.
The team traded away Reggie Jackson to the Detroit Pistons and now they need to replace him and Payne could be the pick. The Thunder know that Westbrook could get injured again and after the way things went with Jackson this season, the team will want to add another option to the roster. Payne has been getting more attention heading towards the draft and he comes in as a potential target for the Knicks, Celtics and Thunder.
