Kevin Durant can become a free agent this summer, and if he hits the open market, he wants to be able to craft his own narrative.
The Warriors forward has been irritated with the media at various points this season, and he told NBC Sports Bay Area's Logan Murdock that reporters' constant attention on his upcoming free agency has irked him because, at the end of the day, it's his life and his story to tell.
“That’s a hot topic,” Durant said of his free agency. “But you don’t have to talk about it. And then you don't have to get mad when I don’t want to talk about it. And then you don’t have to get mad when your little brain is roaming around, but you can’t find the correct answers. That’s bad journalism. That's not doing your job well.”
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The two-time NBA Finals MVP also said he believes media is upset with the players who choose to tell their own story through various platforms rather than going through them.
Durant's comments were a hot topic across the sports world Tuesday, and they didn't sit particularly well with FOX Sports 1's Skip Bayless or Shannon Sharpe, who went at Durant on "Undisputed," calling the Warriors star "uninteresting" and claiming no one would notice if he were out for the playoffs.
"So, Kevin says, 'They need me,' " Bayless said. "No. Seriously, we don't. Do we need LeBron [James]? Yeah, I'm going to give you LeBron because trust me on this, Kevin Durant: LeBron James is 100 times more interesting than you are.
"I don't know what it is about LeBron James, born on Dec. 30, 1984, he and Tiger Woods have this in common. There's a force field that revolves around both of them, and I can't explain it because it's inexplicable. But stuff just keeps happening to both of them that is highly interesting. On a nightly basis, there's a subplot of every LeBron James game, and I miss him greatly. If Kevin Durant were out for the playoffs, nobody would really care -- I know he's been out for the playoffs, and nobody cared. Life goes on.
Golden State Warriors
"The only thing interesting about Kevin off the court is, on a daily basis, what is he mad about today? What little unimportant thing is he mad about now, and why? That's all that's interesting about him because he always seems so sour. It's always downbeat with him."
Sharpe then went at Durant for what he saw as the Warriors star's "condescending tone" in the interview.
"Skip, the thing with me is the talking down," Sharpe said. "I mean, now Kevin Durant wants to be a Nobel Laureate. He wants to make people feel that he's so much smarter than you, that your brain is so small, you can't even begin to possibly imagine what's going on in my world with what I'm thinking about and what I'm feeling. I don't like the condescending tone."
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Durant's irritation with the media's questions has been somewhat puzzling. By signing a two-year contract with an opt-out after the first year, Durant left the door open for his exit. Since Durant is a two-time NBA Finals MVP, it's only natural the media would be interested in whether he'll decide to stay or leave.
Also, the questions Durant has faced are no different than the volume of questions faced by any other marquee star before they head into free agency. While there has been an excessive number of rumors swirling around Durant, it's the same situation James faced prior to last offseason. It's the same thing Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard have faced this season before they hit free agency.
As the Warriors continue their march to a third consecutive NBA title, the future of the dynasty will continue to be a topic of conversation with Durant's future in doubt. That's just the way it is.