Kevin Durant Is Top Lakers Target Over Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson: Report

The Los Angeles Lakers are very much interested in Minnesota Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler, however, their priority target will always remain Kevin Durant, according to Fox Sports analyst Jason McIntyre.

It was reported last week that Butler, who has a year remaining on his deal, wanted a trade away from Minnesota with his three-team shortlist consisting of the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and his preferred choice of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Curiously, there was no Lakers in his shortlist nor are the 16-time champions among the teams interested in the 29-year-old, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

In fact, Wojnarowski reported that "LeBron James’ arrival as the franchise’s cornerstone made it less appealing for Butler" to join the Lakers, particularly during the prime of his career.

However, that is not exactly the case, according to McIntyre, who states Butler does want to join them but there are two reasons why he's not mentioning the Lakers.

For one, the Lakers have a history of player tampering and were notably ordered to pay $500,000 for communicating with Indiana Pacers star Paul George's agent in the summer of 2017. The rationale is it would be better for Butler not to make his interest in them public knowledge due to their past issues.

The second is that Durant is still the top target of the Lakers and his potential availability next year would put a wrench into any potential move to Los Angeles.

"No player, not Klay Thompson, not Kawhi, not Jimmy Butler, not Anthony Davis or whomever… nobody is going to say they want to play for the Lakers because they all know that one superstar is lurking that could throw a monkey wrench into everything and his name is Kevin Durant," McIntyre said, as quoted on the Daily Express.

"If Kevin Durant hits the market, sorry Kawhi, sorry Klay, sorry Jimmy Butler… they want Kevin Durant. That’s how the Lakers are going to play this. They would love Jimmy Butler. He is one of the most under-rated players in the league. The Lakers will be in the mix for Jimmy Butler. Now we’ve got to see who else hits the market. I’d go Durant, then I’d go Kawhi and I would take Jimmy Butler over Klay Thompson," he said.

The Lakers will have the cap space for one max contract deal next summer and Durant would be a huge addition to the team.

The two-time champion signed a one-plus-one deal this summer with the Golden State Warriors but is heavily linked with a move away from the Bay Area in 2019, with some speculating he's after a new challenge.

NBA insider Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson notably tweeted last week that Durant is pretty much already a Laker as per his source and that the Maryland native is currently planning his move to play alongside James.

However, that is just one report, and it must be noted that the Warriors can also obtain Durant's Bird rights after next season which allows them to offer him a five-year, supermax contract.

Regardless, given the amount of free agents that could be available next summer as well as the current situation with Butler and Minnesota, the landscape of the NBA could further change drastically in the next 12 months.