The Golden State Warriors Could Sign Kevin Durant With This Genius Plan

Give all credit to Danny Leroux: The Sporting News reporter cracked the Kevin Durant code.

While much of the talk regarding Durant's free agency focused on the possibility of the forward landing in Washington, DC, Leroux mapped out the sinister and genius way the Golden State Warriors could sign Kevin Durant and keep their best players.

The CliffsNotes version of the scheme goes a little something like this.

Kevin Durant is estimated to demand a max salary of $25 million for the 2016-17 season, the next NBA season and the first of his new contract.

Conservative projections predict the salary cap for next season to be around $89 million, so if the Warriors want to sign Durant, the amount of money Golden State pays non-KD players will have to equal up to $64 million.

With Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston heading into their last contractual years during 2016-17 (and thus becoming the "expiring contracts" teams around the league find so valuable), Leroux figures the Warriors could trade those three assets and land Durant with a roster looking similar to the one below.

There are a few complexities in that plan, which Leroux gives a pretty comprehensive explanation for, but the bottom line is pretty simple.

With the Warriors three best players only combining for around $44 million a year, it is more than conceivable the team can find a way to sign Kevin Durant and have room for a decent supporting cast.

And if the Warriors find that way, may God have mercy on the rest of the NBA.

Citations: Kevin Durant on the Warriors: The rest of the NBA's nightmare could happen (Sporting News)