Kevin Durant says basketball, not money or exposure, will be the primary factor in his free agent decision this summer.
Durant told ESPN’s Royce Young on Monday that he will sit down with his inner circle and the people he trusts most and make the decision that is best for him.
“I know how important this time is,” Durant said at the launch of his KD9 shoe line. “Like I’ve been saying all season, I have people I trust. I have all the trust in the world in them that we’ll sit down and figure this thing out, figure out what’s best for me. It’s a little bit more complicated now, because it’s still a few weeks away.
“I’m worried about basketball. That’s what it is for me. It’s a basketball decision.”
Durant clarified that that meant he was most concerned with who he’d be playing with, coached by, and working with on a daily basis.
“Just who I’m going to be playing with and the people I’m going to be around every single day, that’s what it’s all about for me,” Durant said. “You tend to hear about the market and the opportunities you can get off the basketball court, but I’m blessed, man, to be making what I make as a basketball player.”
Durant noted that endorsements don’t matter much to him, as he’s become one of the league’s biggest commercial stars – he has a $300 million Nike deal – and he’s done it in a small market.
“I’m doing this in Oklahoma City,” Durant said. “I don’t care about commercials, I don’t really care about this s—, I just want to hoop. But this comes with it and I got all this being in Oklahoma City. So all that stuff doesn’t really matter to me. It’s all about who I’m gonna play with, what type of people I’m going to be around every single day and I’ll go from there.”
Durant has talked about being “selfish” in his decision, and ultimately, this may be why the most likely scenario is a short-term deal with Oklahoma City. It may also be why there have been so many rumblings about Durant and Golden State, as personnel like that would be tough to beat. Goal number one is to win a title, after all.
