Kevin Durant’s time in Golden State may be waning. The two-time NBA Finals MVP has the opportunity to become a free agent at season’s end. Teams such as the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Warriors have been long rumored to be possible destination.
However, retired NBA player and Durant’s former teammate, Kendrick Perkins, believes Durant should ultimately decide to go back home and play for the Washington Wizards. While appearing on Adrian Wojnarowskiās Woj Pod, Perkins expressed his wishes for Durant to play for Washington.
āThatās one of my great friends ā heās like a little brother,ā Perkins said on Woj Pod. āAnd I always tell him: I wish heād go back home, to be honest. I wish heād go back to Washington. I think that would be great for him.ā
Durant was born in DC before moving and growing up in nearby Prince George’s County, Maryland. Durant had an opportunity to sign with the Wizards in the summer of 2016.
The Wizards organization planned the eventual signing of Durant for more than a year leading to his free agency. They went as far as hiring his former head coach in Oklahoma City, Scott Brooks. And his high school coach David Adkins as an assistant. However, Durant spurned the Wizards by not even giving them an interview. He ultimately signed with the Warriors and won two NBA titles and Finals MVP playing next to Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson.
Meanwhile, the landscape of the Wizards has changed. At the time, they were a promising team behind a young backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, who had never lost in the first-round of the playoffs.
With Durant in Golden State, the Wizards were left out in the cold. Washington peaked the following season winning 49 games and going to a Game 7 against Boston before falling a game short of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Since then the Wizards have struggled to stay healthy and never found that missing piece. Wall missed 41 games in 2017-18 largely due to a knee injury. And this season, he missed 50 games with a heel injury. He ultimately tore the Achilles heel and quite possibly will miss the 2019-20 season.
Durant opting to sign with the Wizards would be a huge deal. Beal is coming off his best individual season in his career, despite the Wizards’ season ending with a disappointing 32-50 record. Durant coming would alter the direction of the Wizards, and would alleviate some of the pressure on Wall to return from his Achilles injury.
There is no doubt, Durant would be the star of team, and give the Wizards fans much to look forward to even without Wall.
Nonetheless, the Wizards are a long shot to even gain the interest of Durant. The roster is even more less appealing as it was in 2016. Otto Porter has been traded away. So has Kelly Oubre. Tomas Satoransky, Thomas Bryant, and Bobby Portis are all free agents this summer.
The Wizards do have a team option on Jabari Parker at $20 million, that is more than likely going to be declined. Washington is in search of a new team president, so who knows how this summer will play out for the Wizards as they retool the roster.
Then there is still the convincing Durant to return to home. That’s something Perkins has wished for sometime. Durant has seemingly avoided at all cost to play close to home, ever since leaving for college to play at Texas. Who is to say he is ready at this point in his career to play for his hometown team?
And they don’t seem all that enticing right now, especially with Wall out and no promising pieces to play with outside of Beal.
If there is a Kevin Durant return home in store. This summer may not be the time for it. Then again, you never know.
