Kevin Durant was understandably disappointed after his team officially blew its 3-1 Western Conference Finals lead over the Golden State Warriors and lost Game 7, but some of the things he said should give Oklahoma City Thunder fans hope that he might not leave.
Yet.
Durant said immediately after the game that he has given no thought to his impending free agency. He later stuck with that theme, but he also opened up to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports about how proud he is of his teammates.
“We all grew up. I think more than anything, we embraced the moment,” Durant said. “We stayed in the moment every game. I’m more proud because most of these guys haven’t played in this atmosphere before.
“From Dion (Waiters) to Enes to Andre (Roberson), Steven (Adams) – this is his first time as a starter playing, in this type of atmosphere as one of the main guys. Randy (Foye) never made it to the Western Conference Finals, and he played a lot. Anthony Morrow had never made it to the playoffs, so I was just proud of how everyone just stayed in the moment and enjoyed it. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
We can understand if Thunder fans aren’t ready to classify that as reassuring, but it’s also a good sign that Durant spoke about the importance of being the face of the franchise.
“I’m upset (about losing), but I’m the leader of this team,” he said. “I’m the leader of this franchise, and I’ve got to go out and represent everyone. I’ve got to win with class and dignity, and I’ve also got to lose with the same class and dignity.
“So of course I’m pissed. I wish we would’ve won. I’ll be thinking about it for the rest of the summer. But I’m the representation of this team. And when people see me, they think about the organization, so I have to represent it in a better light … I also have to let them know, really, what this is all about and look at the big picture, so I feel like I’m representing a lot of people besides myself.”
Given the way the Thunder lost, we all would have understood if Durant said hardly anything. Instead, he spoke like someone who realizes how close he was to capturing his first championship ring.
“I see bright things for this team,” Durant said. “And it’s great to be a part of it.”
If you believe this report, the best thing for the Thunder’s chances of re-signing Durant was the team’s win over the San Antonio Spurs. Naturally, that hasn’t stopped players from other teams from already trying to recruit Durant.
At this point, the most likely scenario seems to be Durant signing a two-year extension with the Thunder that includes an opt-out clause after next season, similar to what LeBron James has been doing in Cleveland. That way, he maintains leverage and can sign a max contract when the salary cap increases dramatically next summer.
OKC fans might not have to panic. Yet.
