Unsure which it would be, the Seattle SuperSonics’ marketing department prepared. Draft night in 2007 was a 50/50 shot. The Sonics were picking second. In their team headquarters, just a few blocks from KeyArena and a year before being relocated, were two jerseys. One had “Oden” on the back. The other read “Durant.”
The Portland Trail Blazers saved the Sonics from the error that changed an era. Oden’s green-and-gold jersey was tossed aside. Durant began his NBA career mothballed in the Pacific Northwest on a team with no pressure to succeed. He attended local college games his rookie season, including one between Washington State and The Citadel in Seattle. Durant was younger than every starter for the Cougars.
Those innocent days are distant now. A time when Durant was thrilled to learn from a friend that his shoe had arrived at Downtown Locker Rooms, and people were even buying it. When a promoter decided to put Durant’s face on a flyer and tout a pending appearance at a District nightclub. Word of the flyer moved to Durant’s mom, Wanda Pratt. She called her teenage son to chide him. Durant had no idea what she was talking about. It was the first time in his professional career someone tried to glom onto his image for their benefit.
Now 27, Durant has sharpened his edges. He has injured his foot, been named MVP, lost in the NBA Finals, moved on from the firing of his longtime coach, and sniped at the media on occasion — usually defending someone else when he did. He has become the man each team in the NBA is longing to sign next summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent for the first time. An eye-popping scorer for hire.
That explains Tuesday morning’s frenzy at Verizon Center. Durant handled a group media session at his locker last season when the Thunder visited Washington. This time, a year closer to the chance he changes uniforms for the first time as a pro, Durant handled the horde in a hallway.
He explained, again, that he has not put much thought into free agency. Unlike the Wizards, who have aligned the last three years of roster moves and salary cap space to make a run at him, Durant is waiting until next July to deal with the decision.
“Just try to go about every day and focus on that day,” Durant said. “I try not to think about the future too much. Just worry about that stuff when I get there. Basically, I’ve been saying I don’t know for a long, long time. I’m just focused on our team, and I’m happy I’m playing again. That takes over.”
Durant will disappoint at least one group. Washington will turn to cash, a potent backcourt and heartstrings to lure him. Oklahoma City is his NBA home and can offer the most money. The pursuit from Washington-area fans has been so incessant that Durant said earlier in the week he thought it was disrespectful to the players currently on the Wizards roster. When Durant visited last season, fans cheered. When the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks were in town earlier this season, John Wall was booed at the free-throw line.
“I mean, that’s frustrating because we go out here and we bust our tail every day and try to compete and win for this city,” Wall said. “I think we deserve that same kind of respect.”
There was no audible reaction when Durant was introduced before Tuesday’s game, which he left with a strained left hamstring after the first half. The public address announcer rapidly mumbled the names of the Thunder’s players. Music also played over the introductions. Saying Durant was booed when he touched the ball gives the half-hearted groaning too much credit. Likely more noticeable to Durant was the fact that Verizon Center was not full, and his home arena is perpetually a boisterous cauldron.
When Durant’s time to decide arrives, he can thank a friend for guidance. LeBron James provided every free agent a blueprint for what not to do when he sat for “The Decision” in 2010. It’s hard to envision Durant considering that scenario even if James’ gloryhound announcement had not been such a flaming debacle.
When next July comes, Durant will wade through the labor free agents deal with. A battle of cash and promise and comfort. A bombardment from social media. Projections from organizations of a life few hold. More head? Or more heart?
“I haven’t thought about that,” Durant said. “I’ll worry about that when I get there, man.”
While hunting for maximum value, Durant may decide to go through the process again. He could sign a one-year deal with the Thunder. Doing so would allow him to sign in 2017 not for 30 percent but for 35 percent of the salary cap, which is expected to rise to an all-time high, even surpassing the coming summer feast.
Maybe the Wizards will stitch his name onto the back of a jersey, just to be prepared like Seattle was. Except they need him to choose them and have to wait seven months to see if he is willing to tug it on.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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