The Thunder know that the potential for Kevin Durant to leave in free agency is very real, so they're doing everything they can to show him that if he does return to OKC, he'll be doing so to play on an upgraded roster.
The latest report (via ESPN's Brian Windhorst) has the Thunder looking to clear cap space in order to make a run at pairing Al Horford with Durant for next season and beyond:
As they prepare to make their pitch to Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been making calls around the league looking to clear a massive amount of salary-cap space in a move rival executives believe is an effort to go after free agent Al Horford in addition to Durant, multiple sources told ESPN.
Horford played for Thunder coach Billy Donovan at Florida, where they teamed up to win two national titles, and they remain close. The Thunder have an opening at power forward after trading Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic last week.
Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler were singled out as the ones OKC would be looking to send out of town, likely in exchange for future draft picks or cash considerations.
Horford, 30, is a four-time All-Star who would be an upgrade over Ibaka in the Thunder's frontcourt rotation. He averaged 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 blocked shots in 32.1 minutes per contest with the Hawks last season, appearing in all 82 regular season games.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.