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Durant on potentially playing for Wizards: OKC 'feels like home now'

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James came home this summer, returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers to try to bring an NBA Championship to his home state while Carmelo Anthony re-signed with his hometown New York Knicks. Washington Wizards fans are hoping Kevin Durant feels similar pangs for home in 2016.

Durant can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2016, and his return to D.C. on Wednesday as his Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Wizards was cause for media to ask Durant about a potential homecoming. 

This isn't new, as Durant's been getting these questions dating back to last summer when James made his decision. Durant's mother, Wanda Pratt, admitted this week that her son hears all that speculation, but Durant was steadfast on Wednesday that his focus is on Oklahoma City. Asked about a possible homecoming of his own, Durant had this to say:

I've never thought about it, to be honest. I mean, I hear it in the summertime, I heard it for the first time this summer, that's when it started heating up. I love playing for Oklahoma City, man. There's just a certain level of pride that I have when I play with that Oklahoma City on my chest. So that's the only thing I'm focused on. Everybody knows that I represent where I come from that no matter where I play at, no matter what arena. But I'm just focused on playing with Oklahoma City. It feels like home now. That's where I am.

With most of the league set to have ample cap space as the salary cap rises substantially in 2016, Durant will have myriad suitors. The Wizards stand as the largest threat to poach him from the Thunder, not just because they're Durant's home team but because they have John Wall, Bradley Beal and ample cap room to add pieces around them.

The Thunder remain the favorites to retain him, able to offer more years, money and the comforts of his new home, and they now appear willing to spend into the luxury tax to field a championship-caliber team.

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