Kevin Durant won’t sign with Wizards because he’s from D.C.
By John Buhler
Kevin Durant reportedly isn’t keen on a D.C. homecoming because he grew up there.
According to Chris Mannix of The Vertical of Yahoo! Sports, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star small forward won’t consider the Washington Wizards when he tests NBA free agency this summer, largely because he’s from D.C.
Many are trying to jump to conclusions that part of the reason the Wizards hired Scott Brooks as their next head coach replacing the departed Randy Wittman on Thursday is that Brooks was Durant’s former head coach with the Thunder for seven years.
Mannix writes, “Durant isn’t all that keen on returning to play in the city in which he grew up. Friends, family…all come out of the woodwork in those situations, and Durant, who tightened his inner circle considerably in recent years, isn’t interested in dealing with them.
Mannix would add that Durant’s “lone trip to D.C. this season was stressful…reinforcing to friends that wherever Durant signs next summer, Washington won’t be it.”
Washington did make the absolute best hire for their situation in Brooks on Thursday. Even if Durant never has any desire to play for the Wizards in his professional career, Brooks is certainly capable of developing young players like John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter, Jr. and ensuring that Washington is a playoff caliber team in the Eastern Conference annually.
In five of seven years leading the Thunder, Brooks led the Thunder to the NBA Playoffs and won over 62% of his regular season games. The Wizards faithful should be ecstatic that they have themselves a strong head coach going forward and not be overcome with greed in trying to lure Durant home to D.C. If he doesn’t want to play for his hometown team, he won’t.
While Durant will be one of the biggest names to hit NBA free agency this summer, do expect him to re-up with the Thunder on a one-year deal. That way he can re-enter NBA free agency with All-Star teammate in point guard Russell Westbrook in 2017 NBA free agency when the NBA salary cap is set to explode.
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