Even as the Warriors enter the home stretch of the NBA regular season and get ready for the playoffs, questions about forward Kevin Durant’s free agency still find their way into the media.

Durant’s upcoming free agency has been dissected in almost every way imaginable, yet people are still finding different situations to look at. Most recently, CBA salary cap expert and Warriors contributor Danny Leroux of The Athletic discussed the possibilities that could occur if Durant wanted to join a team that does not have the requisite cap space to sign him outright.

According to Leroux, there are two scenarios where a cap-stricken team can acquire the two-time Finals MVP.

Option 1: Sign and trade

While this is the more likely option, it is also the more complicated one, according to Leroux. In order for a team to acquire Durant, the team must be subject to the hard cap for that year.

The limit is set at around $6.8 million over the luxury-tax line, so that figure will be $138.8 million in 2019-20, according to the current cap projection. The Warriors dealt with the hard cap back in 2015 when they signed Shaun Livingston using the larger non-taxpayer mid-level exception; the most important thing to remember is that any hard-capped team cannot go over that line for any reason. That means any unlikely bonuses, minimum contracts signed during the season or whatever else could add to that team’s salary counts, typically reducing both their wiggle room and flexibility.

Due to the current projection of a $24.1 million margin between the salary cap and the apron, it seems rather likely for a team that does not have the salary cap to sign Durant outright to also not be able to acquire him via sign and trade.

According to Leroux, another difficulty is that any team above the cap can only bring in 125 percent (plus $100,000) of the salary it ships out. Assuming Durant signs for his maximum salary of $38.15 million, the outgoing salary must be at least $30.44 million, whether that goes to the Warriors or a third team.

Option 2: Opt in and subsequent trade

Known most famously for its role in getting Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets, this option would require Durant to opt in to the last year of his contract, sacrificing money once more.

Durant’s specific situation is even more interesting because his player-option for 2019-20 is $6.6 million less than his potential first-year max salary as a free agent, which is a financial sacrifice for him but also makes salary matching even easier for the trade partner. Clearing the 125-percent rule would only require $25.12 million in the deal, $5.32 million less than in a sign-and-trade discussed above. It would be much easier for some trade partners to cobble together that lower figure this summer.

If this situation occurs, the team that trades for Durant can only offer him a four-year max deal, and only 5 percent raises. Additionally, the team could be left barren if Durant decides to leave the team as an unrestricted free agent in 2020. However, from the Warriors’ perspective, this is their best option if Durant seems likely to leave.

Role of the Warriors’ front office

Finally, Leroux discusses the leverage the Warriors’ front office would have in each of these scenarios. While they would be in a position of strength, it is important that the team does not “overplay that hand.” Leroux reminds Warriors’ fans to recall the acquisition of forward Andre Iguodala from the Denver Nuggets, where the Denver front office ended up with significantly less assets than they expected after Golden State brought the Utah Jazz in as a third team.

While these options are not the most likely, it is definitely something to keep in mind entering the offseason.