Kevin Durant Will Join LeBron James At Lakers Next Season: Report

Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant is reportedly joining LeBron James at the Los Angeles Lakers next season.

Durant signed another one-plus-one deal this summer and has been regularly linked with a move away from the Bay Area in 2019 with the likes of the Lakers, New York Knicks and even the Oklahoma City Thunder rumored to be interested.

The latest however, according to a source close to Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson, is that Durant will be a Laker next season and will team up with James.

In the tweet posted Monday, Robinson mentions his source confirming the deal is done, though he also adds Durant is planning the move a year in advance just like James did before joining the Lakers earlier this summer.

Robinson posted another tweet soon after.

While this is just one report or source confirming the deal to be done even before the 2018/19 season has commenced, it's interesting to note that Robinson also revealed in late June that James was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers and already knew where he would be heading at the time.

It's also not the first time a reporter has called a move a year in advance either as Chris Sheridan notably tweeted in August last year that James would leave the Cavaliers at the end of the season.

Durant has been regularly criticized for his move to the Warriors but has vindicated himself by winning two championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards since joining the franchise in 2016.

The thinking from most is that while the Warriors could win a fourth championship in five years this upcoming season, Durant is after a new challenge and teaming up with James may be enticing for him.

The 29-year-old had praised the Akron native for moving to the Lakers as it broke down the barriers of what an NBA superstar should be. He also defended his own move to the Warriors by priding himself on standing out in a team with three fellow All-Stars, so maybe he plans to stand out in a team which has the best player in the league.

A team with both James and Durant would certainly be potent and may even be favorites over the Warriors, especially as the reigning champions will be weakened with the latter's departure.

As mentioned before however, this is just one report. On the other hand, the Warriors will be able to obtain Durant's Bird rights in 2019, which will allow them to offer him a five-year, supermax contract after next season.

Regardless of what happens, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr claimed earlier this month that he's simply focused on the upcoming season rather than Durant's future.

"You don’t worry about that," Kerr said. "This year is this year. We’ll worry about all that stuff later on when the time comes. This is about this season. We’ll see where it goes."

Durant and the Warriors will kick off their championship defense on Oct. 16 when they host the Thunder.