Amidst rising speculation of whether he will stay with Oklahoma City after free agency in the summer of 2016, Thunder front man Kevin Durant said he hopes to see No. 35 hanging in Chesapeake Arena someday.
“Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki type – that’s awesome,” Durant said to ESPN. “But you never know what the future holds sometimes and how teams may feel about you after a while, but I love it here and I would love to get my jersey retired here.”
Many Thunder fans and sports analysts had questioned Durant’s interest in staying in Oklahoma City during the season. Durant has been with the team since his drafting in 2007 to the former Seattle SuperSonics, he will have nine years with the Thunder on his résumé after the 2015-2016 season.
Despite his upcoming free agency, Durant said he has no aspirations to leave Oklahoma.
“I love playing for Oklahoma City, man,” Durant said in a recent interview with Revolt TV. “There’s just a certain level of pride that I have when I play with that Oklahoma City on my chest.”
Historically the face of the franchise, Durant has spent a majority of this season on the bench with a lingering injury in his right foot. He played in only 27 games this season. On Tuesday, Durant had bone graft surgery that eliminated his chances of returning for the 2014-2015 season.
The Thunder’s contract offer to Durant in the summer of 2016 will include one more year and a larger paycheck than the rest of the league.
For now, Durant says the Thunder still have a home court advantage.
“I’m just focused on playing with Oklahoma City,” Durant said. “It feels like home now. That’s where I am.”
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