What do we know?
So here is a truth, Kevin Durant is grateful just to be playing basketball and playing it at high level. After sitting out all of 27 games during the 2014-2015 season because of a nagging foot injury that required more than one surgery throughout the year, Durant managed to play 72 games this past year averaging 28.2 points with a career high 8.2 rebounds per game.
Here is another truth, Kevin Durant jumped at this opportunity to play more basketball with Team USA in the Rio Olympics this summer. In 2014, shortly after the traditional Team USA blue vs. white scrimmage, Kevin Durant withdrew his name from the FIBA World Championship. He stated that his decision to withdraw was due to being tired from the previous season, but we all know that after the Paul George injury he was shaken by the accident. He was on record saying that, if given the opportunity, he would love to represent his country again and well, this is that opportunity.
There is another thing that we know for sure, Kevin Durant loves to play basketball. He has always loved it since he was a little kid and that love has never wavered.
What to make of his own words?
At the Team USA unveiling event that occurred yesterday, Marc Stein from ESPN caught up with Kevin Durant and asked some intriguing questions about why he decided to play this summer in the midst of many of the superstars dropping out, including his running mate, Russell Westbrook. Marc Stein also brought up his impending free agency decision in a couple of questions. Stein asked KD "How ready are you for the storm that free agency is going to bring?" Kevin Durant's response was a simple saying that he has been ready for a while and he is going to take it a day at a time.
Stein also asked "What would be the biggest factor in your decision?" Durant responded with "I want to have fun playing ball, that has always been my main concern, but I am locked in on Team USA right now." If having fun playing basketball is his only concern, then playing for a contender becomes his top priority because it is always fun winning. That narrows the pool down a lot, but other priorities factor in to having fun besides winning.
Why leave a good situation in OKC?
If Durant were to leave, one of the main reasons why would be to see what playing without Russell Westbrook is like. Westbrook has been his running mate for eight of his nine seasons in the NBA. Being the point guard, Russell Westbrook mostly has the ball in his hands regardless of Durant being the team's number one option. With the way the Oklahoma City Thunder's offense is set up, it allows for isolation basketball with Kevin and Russell being the two best players on the floor most of the time. Durant's motivation to leave would also be about the system that he is playing in. If that is the case, a system like what the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs have that is predicated on ball movement would become interesting to him.
Durant's decision is way more deep than what he says on the surface about just having fun. His decision will be one that will shake up the NBA if he chose any other place other than OKC as his new home. His decision is expected to come shortly after the start of free agency because he starts training for Team USA on July 9th. One would assume that he would have a decision made before then so that he can put his complete focus of representing our country in this years Olympic games.
