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The 2019 NBA free ggency is almost upon us, with the free agency officially beginning on 30th June 6:00 PM ET (3:30 AM IST) instead of the usual July 1st, 12:00 AM ET. That is when free agents can officially sign with the teams that have been courting them through the off-season.
Superstars such as Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, and Kemba Walker, among others, are expected to test the free agency waters and are courting massive offers to join a new team and start their own legacy.
So without further ado, here are the top 5 player dups that should team up in this off-season, looking to start their own NBA dynasty and become the next team to beat in the NBA next season.
#5 D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle at the Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have become one of the teams this off-season that top free agents have been looking at for joining and forming a new super team. Brooklyn Nets have a projected $67 million in cap space and a young squad full of role players that are ready to contribute, as seen in their run to the playoffs last season.
If the Nets are unable to land their top targets in Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard, their best chance is reuniting D'Angelo Russell, who is now a restricted free agent, with Julius Randle, who is also a free agent in demand this season.
D'Angelo Russell put up a career year last season, as he got his maiden All-Star call up on the basis of it. After Caris LeVert went down, Russell took it upon himself to lead the Nets to their first postseason since 2014-15.
He played 81 matches last season, the most in his career, averaging 21.1 points, 5.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds in 30 minutes a game. He also had a career high 43% field goal percentage and 37% from 3, a stark improvement from his usual career numbers and he is in for a big raise this season.
Julius Randle too was a superb player for the New Orleans Pelicans in his single season there. The Pelicans were out of the reckoning for the playoffs once Davis was benched due to his trade request, but that did not stop Randle from putting up his best numbers in his young career.
The 24-year-old averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds, spacing the floor well too, shooting 34% from the 3. He was one of the best players on that Pelicans roster and even though he was not a good player on the defensive end, he will be in line to get a massive pay raise.
The Nets have the money to put the two of them together and with a great cast of players that surround the two, they can lead the franchise back to their glory days. Both the players are ready to step up into bigger and better roles and can do that with the Nets.
#4 Jimmy Butler and Kemba Walker at the Boston Celtics
The Philadelphia 76ers are favorites to re-sign both Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris this off-season, but there is a big chance that Jimmy Butler might decide to take his talents somewhere else and try and establish his own super team.
The Boston Celtics have space to sign the two All-Stars now that both Al Horford and Kyrie Irving are with one leg out the door. Kemba Walker is heavily touted to join the Boston Celtics in free agency and Jimmy Butler might be a great fit next to him.
Kemba Walker has been playing for the Charlotte Hornets throughout his whole career and has been a superb player. Walker played all 82 games in the 2018-19 season and earned an All-Star call-up, averaging 25.6 points, 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds a game. Even though he is a point guard, Kemba is a superb off-the-ball player and can complement Butler's ball heavy game perfectly.
Jimmy Butler had a topsy-turvy season, his hostile exit from the Timberwolves had given his stock a massive beating. But a solid 2nd half of the season with the Philadelphia 76ers and a playoff run where he was arguably the 76ers' best player, Butler is back as one of the best free agents out there on the market.
Butler averaged 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in a reduced role on the offense during the regular season, but showed his worth in the playoffs. Butler is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end and can make up for Walker's shortcomings on that end.
If paired together and along with a young talented core in Boston, Butler and Kemba can make the Celtics an instant competitor in the Eastern Conference again and make up for the loss of Horford and Kyrie for the Celtics.
#3 Kawhi Leonard and Al Horford at the Los Angeles Clippers
The 2018-19 NBA season has been the year of Kawhi Leonard. From being traded from the San Antonio Spurs to winning the NBA title and the NBA Finals MVP with the Toronto Raptors, it has been an eventful year for him.
Leonard will now be the most sought-after free agent this off-season and is touted to return to his hometown of Los Angeles with the Clippers, not the Lakers. He could potentially team up with a player like Horford to make the Clippers a really solid contender.
Kawhi averaged a superb 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game, leading the Raptors to their first ever championship. His offensive and defensive game are both top-notch and he has the tools to complement almost any star in the team.
Al Horford is now entering the final years of his career but is still a force to be reckoned with, especially on the defensive end. Horford played 68 games last season, averaging 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.3 blocks a game.
Horford is a solid big man who can space the floor as well, as he has shown in his career. He is a veteran head with a lot of playoff experience which will be very beneficial for a young Clippers team, which also can complement both of these players perfectly.
#2 Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at the Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are going to be major players in the free agency off-season this year and with a projected $67 million cap space available for them, the Nets are going to pursue their top targets in guard Kyrie Irving and forward Kevin Durant, who reportedly have been longing to play with each other for a while.
Kyrie Irving is a superstar, having won an NBA title in 2016. He has been a part of the Boston Celtics for the last 2 years but is reportedly now considering greener pastures in Brooklyn. Irving is considered to be one of the best point guards in the NBA and has proven to be one too.
He averaged 23.8 points, 5 rebounds and 6.9 assists a game last season and could muster 67 games. The Boston Celtics had a underwhelming regular season and a bad postseason, where they were handed a gentleman's sweep (4-1) against the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2nd round.
Kevin Durant has been one of the best players in the NBA for a while now and has won 2 NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors. He has been widely criticized for ruining the NBA with a move in 2017 to the Golden State Warriors but now has the chance to rebuild his reputation and start his own legacy.
Durant averaged 26 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists this regular season. He suffered a season ending Achilles injury in the Game 5 of the NBA Finals which will mostly keep him out of the whole 2019-20 NBA season but that has not stopped teams from offering him the max deal.
Durant and Irving will arrive at a Nets team that already have a bunch of great role players to complement both of them and they will fit into this roster with ease. Durant will probably miss the whole of the next season, yet in the 2020-21 season, the Nets might just be competing for the NBA title.
#1 Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard at the New York Knicks
The New York Knicks have a humongous $68 million in cap space heading into the 2019 NBA free agency and with the moves they have made this season and in the last, are looking to sign 2 superstars, who will take them back into the upper echelons of the NBA.
Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant might be two of the top 5 players in the NBA right now and them playing together will not only make them the most devastating duo in the NBA, but it will also make them absolute favorites to win the NBA title.
Leonard has been amazing for the Toronto Raptors this season, averaging 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 60 regular season games. He showed his true value in the playoffs this season and put up a historic playoff run, where he led the Raptors to their maiden NBA title and won the NBA Finals MVP in the process.
Kevin Durant did not have a bad season either, averaging 26 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists in the regular season. He was having one of the best playoff runs ever too, before it was cruelly cut short by an Achilles injury that will keep him out next season as well.
If these two team up at the New York Knicks, even without Durant for the 2019-20 season, they will be playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference after years of mediocrity. It would also be a chance for Durant and Kawhi to define their own legacies at one of the most storied franchises in the NBA.
Guess the Lakers players!
