In the gym at Chicago’s Quest Multisport facility, executives from every team overflowed among the courtside tables, the bleachers and in the quieter spaces outside the ropes where pleasant conversations would lay groundwork for summer deals. At the NBA Draft Combine it seemed there was only an occasional glance at the players sweating on the court to grab an eye, the focus more on taking a turn with Pelicans VP of Basketball Operations David Griffin to make a pitch for the services of disgruntled New Orleans star Anthony Davis.
But a player who was not in the gym and not even playing for the Warriors right now, Kevin Durant, was also on the lips of many of the executives in the gym.