5 reasons Kevin Durant stays with Oklahoma City Thunder

5) Scott Brooks isn’t enough for Washington

It’s fairly obvious that Scott Brooks isn’t enough for Kevin Durant to sign with the Washington Wizards. But any fuel that can be added to the KD-to-DC fire will be, right?

If Brooks was truly the head coach that Durant felt he had to play for, and that would be a sure-fire way to keep KD around, why did the Thunder fire Brooks last year? For a player like Durant, barring anything absolutely outlandish, you do what he wants to keep him on your team. If he wanted to be playing for Brooks, Brooks wouldn’t have left.

It’s another reason the KD-to-DC theory is a foolish one. Besides the simple matter of championship-caliber talent, which essentially ends at John Wall and Bradley Beal, there’s no one in Washington that gives Durant any real incentive to go there. He wants to win a championship immediately, and teaming up with Wall, Beal, Otto Porter, Marcin Gortat, and Brooks doesn’t take him to that level.

In fact, as Chris Mannix of The Vertical has reported, Durant isn’t even intrigued with the idea of returning to his hometown of Washington anyway, regardless of the basketball aspects:

"Durant isn’t bound for Washington, friends say, because … it’s Washington, it’s home, and, like so many athletes, Durant isn’t all that keen on returning to play in the city in which he grew up. Friends, family – some real, some claiming to be – all come out of the woodwork in those situations, and Durant, who has tightened his inner circle considerably in recent years, isn’t interested in dealing with them. His lone trip to D.C. this season was stressful, league sources told The Vertical, reinforcing to friends that wherever Durant signs next summer, Washington won’t be it."

As easy as it may be for fans to speculate over, not all players want to play at home. Just like not everyone wants to live and work in their hometown for their entire life. It’s ok for people — and athletes — to move on.

With one theory ticked off, there’s another reason for Durant to stay in OKC. However, this argument goes beyond a lower team like the Wizards, and instead comes down to the flaws with joining a current top contender.

Next: How many hands can carry the Tim Duncan torch?