KD to Washington?

Everyone is paying attention to the Kevin Durant free agency question. No matter what he says, he is thinking about it too. Everyone is also writing, talking, tweeting, skyping, periscoping (?) about where he will end up.

The prevailing theory is that he will decide between the Thunder and his hometown Wizards. Both make sense in both basketball and in "PR status". We have all learned from the Lebron saga that PR for these stars means everything. It would be hard to mess up this scenario as bad as Lebron did, but you never know. Maybe Durant will host a live announcement at Chesapeake Arena, get it full of Thunder fans, come out in Thunder gear and then say "I am taking my talents to the nation's capitol." 

What if the choice wasn't 50-50? What if every team had a chance? I came up with a scoring scale, (similar to Zach Lowe's League Pass Ranking scale) three categories (1-10 points): Basketball (does it make sense in terms of winning titles), PR/narrative (will his decision lead to jersey burning) and Brand (will the location be marketable for the KD brand).

These are all assuming cap space isn't relevant, which is partially true with the expanding cap.

Sorry Sonics, not in the running.

Out of his league:

30. Sixers (4) I would love to see with Noel and Okafor, but no one else outside of Philly would.

29. Nuggets (8) A bit of a leap forward, mostly because Denver can market stars a little better than Philly. Mudiay and KD? 

28.  Pacers (11) Basketball wise it could be fun to team up KD and PG-13, but the market is not good and the narrative would be full of ???

27. Magic (12) Also fun, but makes no sense legacy wise. Stars leave Orlando much more frequently than they go there (Shaq, Dwight).

26. Bucks (12) Their young core with KD (KD plus Giannis!) would be very exciting, but the market and PR wouldn't be good enough.

25. Pistons (13) The league's most surprising team plus Durant would be great, but their would be that awkward Reggie Jackson reunion.

24. Jazz(13) Basketball "purists" would love this, but who has ever left anywhere for Utah?

23. Nets (14) The Nets are higher than seven teams? Think market, close your eyes, ignore the basketball aspect of this basketball team, and picture KD in Brooklyn...now wake up and see Joe Johnson's contract.

22. Timberwolves (14) Opposite of the Nets.

21. Kings (15) Kings were the only team with 5's across the board, proving mediocrity and this team are synonymous.

OK, Maybe:

20. Grizzlies (15) They get here because any offense would push Grizzlies forward, and his offense would push them possibly to Finals. But there is a lot of animosity between the two sides, mostly from playoffs of years past, and Tony Allen.

19. Portland (16) I gave them major points imagining the story lines: The team that picked Oden over him, finally gets it right.

18. Mavericks (16) Going anywhere in the same region isn't a great idea. Bonus points for homecoming narrative (college that is, even though that argument could me made for any Texas team really).

17. Suns (17) Phoenix is much more capable of attracting bitter retired people than they are superstars.

16. Cavaliers (18) Surprised? Imagine the narrative: Durant can't win on his own (which is unfair to Westbrook and Ibaka) so he teams up with Lebron. People would freak out.

Chance in hell:

15. Lakers: Obviously the brand got 10 points here, but the basketball would have a lot of work to do to make it happen. No matter how bad this current team is, the Lakers have always found ways to make things work.

14. Rockets (19) Title contenders right away, but the Durant needs Harden thing would be too strong.

13. Hawks (19) Another all basketball, no image scenario.

12. Knicks (20) See Lakers, minus the "have always found a way to make things work" part. Melo and KD? Would that really work?

11. Hornets (21) MJ would surely help him brand, but besides Kemba and a declining Big Al, what else do they have to offer?

10. Heat (21) It would look so bad to do exactly what Lebron did, but don't rule this out! Pat Riley is a Magi who uses spells to attract any free agent.

9. Celtics (22) Who would really complain? A star going to join a bunch of young talent? In the East, although the East is improving, this team would be hard to compete with. 

8. Pelicans (22) KD and AD.

7. Raptors (23) Team would be pretty good, no one would really complain, and Drake would certainly help his brand. Pretty solid all around.

The Contenders

6. Spurs (24) Great team, great PR, but not much at all for brand. That hurts them.

5. Warriors (25) Unstoppable team, but some might view it as a cop out. If you can't beat em, join em, sort of thing.

4. Clippers (25) They edge out Warriors because of the LA market. Also helping out the lesser respected LA team. I like this idea.

3. Wizards (26) Hometown team. The skill level will be great, but as great as they are, Wall and Beal don't make up for not playing with Westrbook and Ibaka. Thunder have a little more than Wizards, though the PR would be great.

2. Bulls (26) Jimmy Butler, maybe D-Rose, maybe Noah, with Durant? Plus the whole rejuvenating the Bulls thing? I think this is

an underrated option.

1. Thunder (27) Kind of a cop out, but it's not for basketball. While the Thunder are stacked, they do have to worry about Westbrook's upcoming free agency. Branding in OKC isn't great, but the whole loyalty thing would help. Take these rankings for what you will, but you could really make the case for any of these top six.