A 3-1 lead, what could go wrong? The shadow cast over Kevin Durant’s stardom finally seemed to show signs of dissipating. It appeared that Durant was prepared to take back his spot as the 2 ^nd best player in the NBA after Curry snatched away that honor a season ago. (Although an argument can still be made about who is truly the best player between Curry and James) The years of media criticism had created a vengeful monster; one that scorched the heavily-favored Spurs to mere smithereens. Now it was time to go for gold and give LeBron James a run for his money, to emerge as the top player at last and finally get a ring—revenge for 2012.

But that terrible playoff curse arose once again; the Golden State Warriors shimmered through the doomed Thunderous super-cell hovering above them, and the skies eventually cleared. Throughout the storm, the Warriors were still able to see a light at the end of the tunnel that no one else could see, not even the sports media for that matter. They were somehow able to escape a tornado that was about to sweep them off of the face of the Earth, and the California sun shone again soon enough.

Now what does the future hold for Kevin Durant? With free agency looming over the horizon for the Oklahoma City Thunder, extreme measures must be taken. Unless by some miracle the organization is able to recruit a notable free agent, it appears doubtful that Durant will stick around. This menacing playoff curse would be enough to make anyone pick up their bags and leave, especially with the numerous options in free agency.

With Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, and even LeBron James about to be free agents the options are endless. What if all four of them joined forces with the Lakers? That’s wishful thinking for a Lakers fan of course, and would be highly unlikely, especially after watching another season crash to a bittersweet end for them.

I doubt that any superstar player with a slight sense of sanity would choose to take part in that chaotic rebuilding process. I’ll have to face the reality that it will take a fair share of years before I’ll be able to wage another Lakers-Celtics rivalry war within the divided fan base of my family. I still remember now how sweet if felt; watching the Lakers take savage revenge over the stubborn Celtics in 2010 after that obliterating blowout of 2008.

No matter how much false hope I give however, I know that Durant would scoff at the idea of joining the Lakers, so it’s time to move on from such blind optimism.

The Spurs would certainly be a fitting team for Durant. With an existing dominant defense, Durant’s high-octane offensive ability alongside Kawhi Leonard would balance the team out and make them a formidable opponent against the Warriors in the 2016-2017 season. And, there’s always the possibility of Chris Paul or Dwayne Wade joining him in the Lone Star state if the Spurs cap space allows.

Another option would be for Durant, Wade, and Paul to join Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks. Although that option runs the risk of having a dwindling bench and the team’s defensive ability could still be in question. Joining James Harden in Houston is another choice, but that’s only an option Durant should consider if Wade or Paul follows.

There have even been rumors about Durant heading over to the Warriors next season. Dear God, if that happens the rest of the NBA is doomed.

As soon as the season starts the rest of the teams might as well just wave their white flags and get it over with. Just the mere mention of this could evoke pure terror in the hearts of NBA players and fans outside of the Bay Area.

Such a move would send electrifying waves of paranoia throughout the league and likely lead to a LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony unification. Even then their chances would still seem grim.

However, there is one other choice Durant has that I had almost forgotten about. What if he joined LeBron in Cleveland? There’s always the question of whether the Cavs would actually have the cap space, but if such an unlikely move happened they would certainly be highly competitive against the Western Conference teams, and breeze through to the NBA Finals once again. In that case it would likely be a third straight Finals matchup between the Cavs and Warriors depending on where Chris Paul and Dwayne Wade go.

In all honesty though the best option for Durant would still be for him to stay in Oklahoma City and recruit as many notable free agents as the cap space allows. But enough of that nostalgic rambling, the options for Durant are too numerous to fit within an article, so I’ll leave it up to him to fill in the blanks.

All bidders will have to pay top dollar for someone with true grit like Kevin Durant nevertheless; a player of his caliber cannot be downplayed even after the way his season ended.