Kevin Durant may have already made himself clear about his intention to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the rest of his career after the reigning NBA MVP stressed that he would like his jersey retired by the organization that drafted him no.2 overall in 2007.
Durant, who will miss four to six months of basketball activity after undergoing bone graft surgery to address a fracture in his right foot, insisted that there's no other place he wants to continue playing basketball but in Oklahoma City.
"I love it here, man. I love my teammates, I love the city, I don't really think about anywhere else," Durant told Revolt TV in a recent interview via Real GM. "I hear it all the time, don't get me wrong, and once you hear it you're kind of like [looks 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.
"Kobe [Bryant], Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki type. That's awesome," he 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."
Averaging 27.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists over his career, the 26-year old Durant missed the first few games of the 2014-15 NBA season after sustaining a fracture in his fifth metatarsals of his right foot during the preseason. This injury continued to bother him in the succeeding months, prompting the Thunder management to shut him down for the remainder the season despite the fact that the Thunder is in heavy battle for a spot in the playoffs.
Durant's recent remark could significantly change the landscape in the free-agency summer of 2016, where he's expected to be the alpha-dog among the crops of contract-eligible players. Durant is being linked to a possible move to Washington Wizards, his hometown team, while the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and New York Knicks are willing to shell out big money for the service of the prolific scorer.