Durant says he's '100 percent locked in' to Thunder despite Warriors reports
Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Kevin Durant's upcoming free agency has the basketball world buzzing about where he may potentially end up this summer. A recent report by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski linking the former league MVP to the Golden State Warriors only added fuel to the fire.
"It's out of my control," Durant said following shootaround on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Royce Young. "Guys are going to write stories, write what they want to write about, but I just try to stay locked in where I am and try to be the best teammate and help my team win a championship."
Durant will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, with the defending NBA champions reportedly acting as the "significant front-runners" to land him. The Warriors currently possess the best record in the league at 44-4, and are well on their way to matching the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' historic record of 72-10. Potentially adding a four-time scoring champion like Durant would make what's already a formidable squad all the more deadly.
Nonetheless, Durant doesn't allow any of the rumors and reports to phase him or his Thunder teammates.
"Nah, nobody talks about it here," Durant said. "We don't even talk about basketball outside the court, much less free-agency chatter. We don't talk about that stuff. As soon as we walk off this court it's friendships and brotherhood. It makes it easier when you have a group of guys where that's not always turned on talking about basketball."
Durant's biggest priority remains taking the Thunder on a deep postseason run after barely missing out on the playoffs in 2014-15. Oklahoma City has a firm grasp on the third seed in the Western Conference at 37-13, with Durant averaging 27.2 points (third in NBA) on 50.8 percent shooting, along with eight rebounds and 4.5 assists in 43 appearances.
In the meantime, any further talk concerning where he may or may not go in five months time will simply be dirt off his shoulder.
"Everybody has to do their jobs," Durant said. "Of course the fans want to know what's going on but I can't control any of that. I just try to come out and work hard every single day and focus on what's in front of me and not worry about what's going to happen down the line. All that stuff I can't control. Like I said, when that time comes we'll talk about it, but for right now I'm 100 percent locked in and committed to being the best teammate and player I can be and helping my team get a championship."