LAS VEGAS — Kevin Durant knows you’re talking about him. Specifically, where he might play starting in the fall of 2016 after he becomes a free agent and signs a new contract.
“It’s been talked about. Everybody’s asked me about it every time I go on Instagram or Twitter. All my friends ask me about it,” Durant said at Team USA Camp in Las Vegas. “So I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m naive to the fact that people think about that stuff. But I just tell everybody, ‘Look, I’m here in Oklahoma City. I love it here. Who knows what’ll happen?’”
That’s not exactly going to quiet the chatter. Nor is it going to tamp down the hopes of Wizards fans (Durant is a Washington D.C. native) or other fan bases from New York to Los Angeles that believe they have a shot at Durant in 2016.
Durant was pressed by reporters to talk about his future Tuesday after another day of Team USA practice in Las Vegas. To his credit, he didn’t dodge the questions, he answered them seemingly honestly.
Durant genuinely doesn’t seem to know what he’s going to do in two summers — nor should he. That’s a long time away. He very well may decide to stay with the Thunder (especially if they win a ring). But two years is a couple lifetimes in the NBA and, as Durant said, who knows what will happen.
If you’re looking for clues to how Durant is thinking, you can try to parse out what he said when asked what he thought of LeBron James’ decision to return to his home and play for the Cavaliers again.
“It was class act,” Durant said of LeBron’s letter. “Great move to do a letter, that was pretty cool. It’s fun to see a guy think about more than just basketball for once, or themselves. I’m not saying LeBron always thinks about himself. But he thought about ‘where do we come from?’ Northeast Ohio. How he can affect some little kids and be an advisor for them. I love that. I love that. So many guys get criticized for making their decision on what’s best for them instead of what’s best for everybody else. We got to respect him. I applauded him. I texted him to tell him congratulations on his decision. I was happy for him.”
Expect Durant to take a big picture view like that when it’s his turn. What does that mean? It’s impossible to say two years out.
Which means the speculation and chatter are just going to grow. For a long time.
