On Thursday a report surfaced from Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's "First Take" where he said that Kevin Durant would sign with the Los Angeles Lakers if he left the Oklahoma City Thunder. While the rumor didn't seem impossible it did go against everything we had been hearing about Durant's impending 2016 free agency so it wasn't the easiest rumor to believe. Now Durant has come out and said that the report is completely untrue, according to The Oklahoman.
The initial statement from Smith came on the ESPN debate show when he said, "In one breath I'm hearing that if Kevin Durant doesn't stay in Oklahoma City, L.A. is his primary objective and landing spot as opposed to South Beach or even his home of Washington, D.C."
Just one day later though Durant came out and vehemently denied that report saying he knows for a fact nobody close to him would talk to the ESPN reporter.
"I don't talk to Stephen A Smith at all. Nobody in my family, my friends, they don't talk to Stephen A Smith. So he's lying. If you ask me a question, I'll talk about them. But like I said before, I have people who I talk to about everything and I know for a fact they didn't talk to him, so he's making up stories," said Durant.
Durant dealt with foot injuries all last season and after three surgeries is finally fully healthy and cleared to play basketball. While he will be playing for the Thunder this upcoming season, his upcoming free agency is all anyone wants to talk about.
Who Smith heard this rumor from is unknown but Durant seems positive that it is nobody close to him. This wouldn't be the first time that a report has been wrong regarding a players free agency and it certainly won't be the last. The speculation for where Durant will end up will only increase as the summer of 2016 gets closer so be prepared for a lot of stories like this over the next eight months.
