After an NBA analyst claimed the Oklahoma City Thunder were "much more likely" now to trade Kevin Durant, Thunder general manager Sam Presti came out and dismissed the assertion as "ludicrous." The biggest question surrounding Durant is where he will sign as a free agent in 2016, something one NBA writer's sources believe will be contingent on how well Oklahoma City does in the next two postseasons.
Thunder star Russell Westbrook has been outstanding in the absence of Durant, putting up LeBron James-esque numbers (27.3 PPG, 8.3 APG, 7.1 RPG) and making history by having triple-doubles in five of his last seven games. The fact Westbrook is now in the MVP race and is almost single-handedly keeping Oklahoma City in playoff contention - all without Durant - is astounding, which has ESPN analyst Tom Penn now believing it's "much more likely" Oklahoma City trades Durant if the reigning MVP doesn't commit to re-signing in 2016.
Read why trading Durant would make sense.
Presti, though, was quick to dismiss the idea of trading Durant.
"It's ludicrous to assert that we would trade Kevin," Presti told The Oklahoman of Durant, who's currently sidelined with a foot injury. "There's no way to measure what he represents to our organization on and off the floor."
Presti had said similar things about how much James Harden and Reggie Jackson meant to the team, but - granted neither player was the caliber of player Durant is - he later traded both of them.
Assuming Presti doesn't lose faith he can re-sign Durant and trade him, the question of Durant's future in Oklahoma City may boil down to how far the team makes it in the two upcoming postseasons before his free agency.
"There is a sense among NBA insiders that as long as the Thunder are competing and challenging for a championship, Kevin wants to remain in Oklahoma City long-term," Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler wrote Thursday.
"However, there is also a belief that if the Thunder are not in the hunt, the voices in the equation (Durant's representatives, RocNation) that may want Durant elsewhere may have the means to sway him if he's not playing deep into the postseason not only this year but next."
For his part, Durant has been mum about 2016. He's neither ruled out nor committed to staying in Oklahoma City beyond his current contract.
