Kevin Durant isn't suiting up for the Oklahoma City Thunder these days as he recovers from an injury, but that hasn't stopped the former NBA MVP from showing his love for OKC and its franchise. With free agency looming in 2016, Durant is putting a lot of effort into affirming his commitment to where he's currently at.
Kevin Durant says he’d love to play for only one team in his career
The Thunder forward wants to be a one-team star like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki.
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“I love it here, man,” Durant told Revolt TV in a recent interview. “I love my teammates, I love the city, I don’t really think about anywhere else.
“I hear it all the time, don’t get me wrong, and once you hear it you’re kind of like --,” Durant trailed off as he looked up, thinking. “But for me, I love staying in the moment, and I’m one of those guys that would love to stick it out with one team my whole career.”
Durant underwent bone graft surgery Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the 2014-15 season. That leaves him with just one season remaining on his contract, and after the Thunder were willing to trade James Harden a few years back, there's been speculation the team might do the same with KD. GM Sam Presti strongly denied those rumors a few weeks ago, saying the city would end up naming streets after Durant, and now the star player wants to be in the city's rafters, too.
"Kobe [Bryant], Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki type. That's awesome," Durant said. "But you never know what the future holds sometimes and how teams may feel about you after a while, but I love it here and I would love to get my jersey retired here."
Much of the speculation surrounding Durant's free agency in 2016 has focused on his hometown Washington Wizards, who will have enough cap space to offer him the chance to partner with John Wall in D.C. LeBron James' return to Cleveland only added fuel to the fire, even though KD has consistently said how much he likes being in Oklahoma City.
Hearing comments like these is probably music to Presti’s ears, since spending another year-plus listening to rumors about Durant’s intentions probably won’t make his job any easier. The Thunder can offer the 26-year-old a longer term and more money than other teams, but ultimately Durant will only stay with the team if he wants to. With just over a year until he has to make the decision, the Thunder just got their most positive indication yet.
Durant appeared in 27 games with the Thunder in 2014-15, the first time he’s missed more than eight games in a season. He averaged 25.4 points and nearly seven rebounds per game, with his per-game minutes dropping from nearly 39 to under 34.
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