That snap you heard during the 2019 NBA Finals wasn’t only Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon but the potential shattering of plans by the Golden State Warriors looking to re-sign him in the offseason with NBA free agency on tap.

Durant has now become a free agent after opting out of his contract with the Warriors and as a result, oddsmakers have placed the Brooklyn Nets as the favorite to land the former MVP.

Online sportsbook Bovada has the Nets at EVEN odds to sign Durant for the 2019-20 NBA season and beyond. Trailing the Nets on the oddsboard are the Golden State Warriors (+235), New York Knicks (+300), Los Angeles Clippers (+800), Los Angeles Lakers (+900) and Dallas Mavericks (+2000) to round out the field.

Why Would Kevin Durant Leave The Warriors?

It’s a fair question because, historically, no player leaves a legit championship contender. But once he tore his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, all certainties were disqualified.

The Warriors are the only team that can offer Durant a 5-year contract.

There are some NBA analysts who theorized that he was planning to leave regardless of the injury due to the behind-the-scenes drama involving teammates (Draymond Green) while potentially looking for a new challenge after getting criticized for teaming up with the Golden State Warriors (a 73-win team in 2015-16) in the first place.

Now, it almost feels like the Warriors owe him a five-year contract because it’s perceived that they botched the medical diagnosis of his calf injury sustained against the Rockets in the second round of the playoffs, which led to his Achilles injury. Money is likely an important factor for Durant as this will likely be the last huge NBA contract he will sign in his career and the Warriors can offer him the most money over five years.

The Warriors will/should offer him a long-term deal because it will help them save face about their medical staff but also, he’s Kevin Durant. Although the history for athletes isn’t great recovering from that type of injury, if he’s even 80 percent of what he used to be, that’s a risk they need to take to sustain their greatness.

Where Will Kevin Durant Go?

Kevin Durant’s future with the Warriors has always been a topic of discussion since arriving at Golden State but rumors are heating up about him potentially going to play with the Brooklyn Nets (EVEN) or New York Knicks (+300).

The Nets and Knicks both have cap space to sign two max free agents in the offseason and they both have nice young cores that could be complementary to Durant’s skill set. The reality is that any team that signs him knows it will have to essentially redshirt him for the first year of his contract because his injury will likely keep him out for all of the 2019-20 NBA season.

Another reason why the buzz won’t die about him joining the Nets or Knicks is the theory that he wants to play with Kyrie Irving. After Irving opted out of his contract with the Boston Celtics, oddsmakers are projecting that he will join the Nets when the free-agency period kicks off on Sunday, which in turn could be a driving force for why Durant is more probable to join the Nets.

As for the Lakers and Clippers, I think both of those teams struck out long before Durant’s injury. The Lakers are on the clock with LeBron James now 35 years old and don't have time to wait a year for him to recover from the Achilles injury. The Clippers also seem more locked in on Kawhi Leonard to jump-start their rebuild. They are seemingly linked to every free agent so it’s hard to take them seriously as a contender to nab Durant because they don’t have a history of signing marquee players.

What do you think? Is Durant going to be back with the Warriors, or will he take his talents elsewhere? Have your say in the comments.

To read more on the betting odds for which team will win the 2019-20 NBA championship, click here.