Does He Really Want To Leave?

Although that Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant currently has a net worth of $80 million, he is set to cash in this summer. Durant is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent and he’ll headline this year’s class of free agents in the NBA. In nine years with Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder franchise, Durant has averaged 27.3 points per game while leading the NBA in scoring on four separate occasions. Durant is also a seven-time NBA All-Star along while being named as the league’s MVP in 2014. Durant is one of the best scorers that the NBA has ever seen, and even though that he’ll be able to decide which NBA city that he is going to call home next season, should he really give strong consideration into leaving Oklahoma City?

The Thunder have finished each of the last five NBA seasons with a winning record which was highlighted by a trip to the NBA Finals in 2012. The combination of Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook has put Oklahoma City on the map and when these two dynamic play makers are healthy, the Thunder are a tough team to contend with.

In 2013, the Thunder finished with the best record in the Western Conference and they appeared to be on a collision course with the Miami Heat for a rematch in the NBA Finals, until Westbrook suffered a knee injury in the postseason. Durant could not do it all by himself and the Thunder were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Last year the Thunder were ravaged by injuries all season long which was highlighted by Durant being limited to just 27 games due to a foot injury. The Thunder still managed to win 45 games, but they fell one victory shy of making the playoffs which resulted in head coach Scott Brooks being fired.

To replace Brooks, the Thunder hired Billy Donovan who had spent the last 19 years as the head basketball coach of the University of Florida where he led the school to four Final Four appearances and a pair of national titles. Donovan was brought in due to his ability to work with different personalities along with the fact that his offensive system predicates ball movement. Led by Durant and Westbrook, the Thunder have one of the deepest teams in the NBA this season as they can put stress on any opponent.

Through 49 games, the Thunder are 36-13 as they are benefiting from playing in the porous Northwest Division where they are the only team there that currently has a winning record. The Thunder have the third best record in the Western Conference and they’ve flown under the radar a bit due to the strong seasons that both the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are currently enjoying. And as good as the Warriors and Spurs are, it is not that far fetched to believe that the Thunder could defeat one of these teams in a seven-game playoff series to advance to the NBA Finals; which again raises the notion of why Durant would want to leave Oklahoma City?

Durant is going to get paid wherever he plays at next season, but the Thunder have the ability to offer him more money than any other NBA team. Durant will be 28-years of age and he’s getting to the point of his NBA career where he wants to win a title, and right now the Thunder give him the best option as far as making that happen.

Durant is only one of three current Thunder players that are not under contract for next season, and with the NBA’s salary cap set to expand due to a new television deal, Oklahoma City is set up to contend for the coming years.

With the Thunder, Durant knows that he doesn’t have to carry the team by himself as Westbrook continues to evolve into one of the better point guards in the NBA. Aside from Westbrook, the Thunder have a legitimate low-post scoring option in center Enes Kanter while power forward Serge Ibaka is one of the better shot blockers in the NBA. Thunder general manager Sam Presti is one of the best cap guys in the NBA while also consistently putting a contender on the floor in Oklahoma City.

This summer will see Durant faced with the allure of playing in a bigger market such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Chicago, or Washington D.C., but he would theoretically be starting over as he would need to get adjusted to a new team, and a new city. Relocating to a bigger market would be great for the Durant brand being that he is one of the top athletes currently signed to Nike, but a new NBA team doesn’t necessarily bring immediate success.

In 2010, small forward LeBron James famously announced that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers in order to take his talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat. There James would team with fellow NBA All-Stars in shooting guard Dwyane Wade and power forward Chris Bosh as they were looking to win championships together. The Heat would make the NBA Finals in 2011, but they would fall to the Dallas Mavericks before claiming the title a year later against Durant and the Thunder.

Durant and Westbrook are on the same page and the Thunder franchise will be more than willing to give both of them whatever they want in order to remain in Oklahoma City. But right now it is Durant that holds all of the cards as his decision this summer could potentially shape the landscape of at least 10 NBA teams for next season.

Source: Basketball-reference.com