NEW YORK: Kevin Durant will decide on his NBA future by Monday, according to reports, after the much-wanted star forward held talks with a number of teams chasing his prized signature.
ESPN said Sunday that Durant, the top free agent player available since the signing period began Friday, has told the six teams that made presentations to him.
Teams can agree to contract terms with players but no official contracts can be signed with free agents until Thursday.
Durant, the nine-year Oklahoma City Thunder man, met Sunday with the Miami Heat after earlier talks with the Thunder, Golden State, Boston, San Antonio and the Los Angeles Clippers.
A championship-caliber roster as well as money are seen as the key factors in where Durant lands. The seven-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA scoring champion has averaged 27.4 points a game for his career and was the 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player.
The Celtics agreed to terms with free agent center Al Horford on Saturday to help their chances while Golden State says it intends to match a four-year deal worth $95 million offered to restricted free agent Harrison Barnes by the Dallas Mavericks.
The Clippers signed guard Austin Rivers but could be pinched for money for Durant under the salary cap.
In other moves, the Washington Wizards agreed to terms with former Orlando forward Andrew Nicholson and Frenchman Ian Mahinmi and obtained point guard Trey Burke from Utah for a 2021 second-round draft pick.
Mahinmi had a career year with the Pacers last season, posting career-best averages of 9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots over 71 games.
Brooklyn agreed to terms on a four-year offer sheet worth $50 million with guard Tyler Johnson, although Miami will have three days to match the terms to keep him.
Former Clippers back-up center Cole Aldrich agreed to a three-year deal worth $22 million with Minnesota.
Cavaliers take hefty tax hit
The champion Cleveland Cavaliers will pay a league-high $54 million luxury tax for last season for going over salary cap limits on their title-team payroll, ESPN said Sunday.
Owner Dan Gilbert will have to send the league a check for salary overruns in the championship season that brought Cleveland its first sports champion since 1964.
Seven teams in all exceeded the $84.7 million tax threshold for last season, the Cavaliers most of all, with a whopping $160 million payroll, Cleveland.com reported.
The Clippers owe $19.9 million in luxury tax, followed by Golden State at $14.8 million, Oklahoma City Thunder at $14.5 million, San Antonio and Houston at $4.9 million and Chicago at $4.2 million.
LeBron James, who rejected a $24 million deal to become a free agent, says he plans to re-sign with the Cavs and likely will be paid $27.5 million for next season by Cleveland because of a higher salary cap.
The NBA Finals MVP averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists in leading the Cavaliers over Golden State in seven games in last month’s finals.
Reports: Durant mega-deal is near
