Durant Could Consider Thunder Move In 2019, Mannix Says, Lakers Also Linked

Kevin Durant’s future at the Golden State Warriors continues to be a point of discussion during the off-season despite the small forward signing a new deal earlier in the month.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP entered free agency earlier in the month after he declined his player option, but stuck to his word and committed his future to the reigning back-to-back NBA champions albeit for the short-term.

Durant was eligible for a four-year max contract with the Warriors, but opted to sign a 1+1 deal that will again allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The forward recently admitted that it was the "perfect" deal as it allows him to keep his options open in the future.

The 29-year-old has been linked with a number of franchises if and when he becomes a free agent in 2019 with the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers said to be interested. He was spotted with LeBron James in Los Angeles earlier this month leading to talks about a potential union at the Staples Center.

However, Yahoo Sports’ Chris Mannix believes Durant could consider returning to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019 — the franchise he spent nine years with before joining the Warriors. A move that earned him a whole lot of criticism and continues do so.

The move, which occurred in 2016, was seen as soft — as it occurred immediately after the Thunder were beaten by the Warriors 4-3 in the West Finals. He was accused of “joining the Stephen Curry’s bandwagon,” but has proven many of his naysayers wrong by winning the two championships since and with it back-to-back NBA Finals MVPs.

Mannix is of the view that he could consider making a sensational return as his relationship with the franchise is still on solid ground and his fallout with Russell Westbrook is on the mend. It remains to be seen what Durant will decide in 2019, but until then he remains favorite to pick up a third straight NBA title with the Warriors next season.

“I think Kevin Durant will be open-minded next summer when it comes to where he wants to go. But I keep going back to Oklahoma City,” Mannix said, as quoted by the Express. “I keep going back to the fact that everything we know about Kevin Durant, the sensitivities, how much he hates the fact that people say he jumped on Steph Curry’s bandwagon, and the fact that there’s been no bridge burnt with Oklahoma City."

“The relationship with Russell Westbrook seems to be the best it’s been since he left Oklahoma City,” he explained. “I know that there’s some financial gymnastics you have to do to get a Kevin Durant on the roster, but I really believe come the end of the year, he’s going to take a long look at Oklahoma City.”