Nowitzki thinks KD's staying put: 'They're loaded where he's at'
Count Dirk Nowitzki as another NBA voice who thinks Kevin Durant isn't leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"He wants to play to win," the Dallas Mavericks veteran told reporters Tuesday at his children's basketball camp. "He's got a great group of guys there in OKC ... He's got a superstar player next to him. They're loaded where he's at."
Many expect Durant to return to the Thunder, possibly on a short-term deal in order to maximize the increases in the salary cap this summer and next.
While the Mavericks' Texas rivals in Houston and San Antonio are viewed as possible destinations if Durant leaves OKC, Nowitzki admitted that a move down I-35 to Dallas is unlikely for the 2014 NBA MVP.
Dirk Nowitzki on Kevin Durant free agency: if DeAndre Jordan had signed with Mavericks, "we'd have a bigger chance" at recruiting him.
— Eddie Sefko (@ESefko) June 7, 2016
Nowitzki, still the Mavs' top player this past season at age 37, expects to be back for at least another two seasons.
The roster is not championship-caliber however, and it will be interesting to see which free agents owner Mark Cuban pursues. Last summer's DeAndre Jordan fiasco would be tough to recreate, and many expect big men like Dwight Howard and Bismack Biyombo to be on the Dallas radar. Small forward Chandler Parsons can also opt out of his contract with the Mavs.