Kevin Durant Hints At Warriors Stay During Chase Center Tour

The Golden State Warriors continue to sweat over the future of Kevin Durant, who will most likely become an unrestricted free agent next summer and, unlike this year, he has not promised to re-sign with the reigning NBA champions.

Durant signed a short-term deal yet again after opting out of his final-year this summer and revealed he did so in order to have more control over his future. He is unlikely to reveal his decision until after the 2018-19 season, but that has not stopped the speculation.

There are more than a few experts and former players that believe the Warriors small forward will leave or even should leave to create his own legacy, while there are as many that think that he will re-sign with the Bay Area team and be part of one of the greatest modern NBA dynasties.

The Warriors have won back-to-back NBA titles with Durant picking up the NBA Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018 and they are favorite yet again to pick up their third straight championship ring. Durant has given little indication about his plans for the future but recent indications are that he is preparing to stay.

The first came recently about just over a month back when he said he is keen to earn more money after admitting that it does affect him to see players with lesser achievement earning more than him. He is only the 11th highest earner in the league at the moment with the likes of Kyle Lowry and Blake Griffin ahead of him on the list.

Durant becomes eligible for a max contract next summer, but there is a big margin in his earnings in free agency if he signs with another franchise. The small forward can earn $221 million if he signs the max five-year contract with the Warriors, while he will only be eligible for a $164 million four-year deal with any other franchise and it remains to be seen if he will forego $57 million by leaving the reigning champions.

The 30-year-old’s gave yet another hint that he could re-sign with the Warriors next summer after he became the first Warriors player to get a tour of the new court location at the Chase Center – the Warriors new home from the 2019-20 season.

Durant in his construction worker garb – the fluorescent orange vest and hard hat – was given a tour of the new facility and he admitted that couldn’t but help think of what it will be like to play in the arena next season. He also said that he is certain that a lot of points will be scored in the arena.

"My imagination is going wild right now with possibilities," Durant said at one point during the tour of the facility, as quoted on ESPN.

"I'm thinking about a lot of points being scored," the Warriors forward added. "The fans are going to love it."

The Warriors fans will be hoping to watch Durant at the Chase Center next year, but anything that is said at this point in time will mainly be speculation as it is still November and it is only 13 games into the new season.