The National Basketball Association’s regular season 2018-19 is officially on. But looking forward, there are a lot of big names entering the NBA free agency in summer 2019. When talking about the NBA free agency 2019, three players will immediately come to mind: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Kemba Walker.
Both Durant and Irving have player options while Walker will enter NBA free agency 2019 as an unrestricted free agent. Both these types of contracts are practically the same. However, in the cases of Durant and Irving, they have the power to decide to extend their stay in Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, respectively, and not enter the free agency at all. Otherwise, they will become unrestricted free agents as well.
On the other hand, an unrestricted free agent like Walker will automatically enter the NBA free agency 2019 once it opens next summer. In this case, the general rule states he has the option to choose an all-new team to sign.
At this point, it is still too early to know for sure whether these players will remain in their current teams. But there are also several speculations on their possible future teams.
ESPN surveyed NBA expert panelists and the possibility of Kevin Durant staying in the Golden State Warriors is still high. In season 2018-19, Durant and the Warriors are in the run to win their third consecutive NBA Championship. Whether they will be able to achieve this or not may play a big role in Durant’s decision about the NBA free agency 2019.
As for Kyrie Irving’s future, seeing him in a new uniform for the next NBA season cannot be ruled out since his expected stint in the NBA free agency 2019. In fact, early speculations already link his rumored exit from the Celtics to the team’s possible deal with Anthony Davis. Note though that there is no definitive development about these reports yet.
Kemba Walker is undoubtedly the star of the Charlotte Hornets franchise. However, the team has yet to find the right formula to give Walker the on-court support he needs. It will not be a surprise if the franchise will mountains to keep Walker in the NBA free agency 2019.
