Report: Kevin Durant isn't 'keen' on signing with Wizards
According to a report, Kevin Durant doesn't want to play in D.C., where he grew up.
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With basically every single team pursuing him, Kevin Durant will be the No. 1 free agent on the market this summer. He will have his pick of the litter and can even play for his hometown Washington Wizards, who just hired Durant's former coach Scott Brooks.
The Wizards are hoping that the appeal of playing in front of his hometown, and being coached by Brooks again, will be enough to woo the All-Star forward. But according to a report by The Vertical's Chris Mannix, these factors don't sway Durant in the slightest as he is not "keen" on signing with the Wizards.
From Mannix:
Durant isn’t bound for Washington, friends say, because … it’s Washington, it’s home, and, like so many athletes, Durant isn’t all that keen on returning to play in the city in which he grew up. Friends, family – some real, some claiming to be – all come out of the woodwork in those situations, and Durant, who has tightened his inner circle considerably in recent years, isn’t interested in dealing with them. His lone trip to D.C. this season was stressful, league sources told The Vertical, reinforcing to friends that wherever Durant signs next summer, Washington won’t be it.
Durant enjoys playing in D.C. whenever the Thunder travel there but it seems like he doesn't want to make it a regular occurrence. Also, it makes sense that Durant doesn't want to sign with the Wizards because of the stress associated with playing in front of his friends and family. Durant has always said he just wants to win a championship and that singular focus can become difficult if he has to do it in the city in which he grew up.
Just look at LeBron James, who gets hammered for not bringing a championship to Cleveland. Why would Durant want to deal with that type of criticism?
Where Durant ends up is obviously still up in the air. But it now seems like the odds of him joining the Wizards are slim.
