Kevin Durant is gearing up for his first free agency, but he reportedly already has his heart set on returning to his current team.
Citing associates close to Durant, The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears reported Thursday that all signs point to the Thunder superstar returning to Oklahoma City on a one-year deal.
“His decision is 90 percent made,” a longtime friend of Durant told Spears. “It would take an amazing sales pitch to change it.”
“It’s going to take some sweet-talking to get him to pass up all the money he can get by staying in OKC,” another person close to Durant said.
Durant will reportedly be open-minded when he meets with other interested parties, with the Warriors in particular viewed as the real threat to Oklahoma City. Spears affirmed, though, that Durant leaving this offseason would be “stunning,” with a potential departure in 2017 once the salary cap rises again viewed as much more possible.
All along, this seemed the most likely scenario. For all the conjecture about other teams and a string of visits, staying in Oklahoma City was always the most obvious solution. He’d still be with a contender, could make the most money staying there, and would be setting himself up for a big payday again in a year’s time. Other teams seem aware of it too, given the speculation that Durant’s upcoming meetings are more of an attempt to plant seeds in his mind for next summer as opposed to any real expectation of luring him away now.
