Trending News

While Kevin Durant is still nursing a Jones fracture that is expected to sideline the star forward for majority of the season, many are already speculating about his future with the Oklahoma City Thunder once he hits free agency in the summer of 2016. The common belief around the league is that Durant will be forced to choose between the Thunder and the rest of the teams when he hits the market.

Grantland's Zach Lowe provided an update on Durant's eventual free-agency decision: Some teams are optimistic it will be open season, and others have heard rumblings that Durant has already made it known it will come down to the Thunder and Wizards."

Durant also has the option to sign a one-year deal in 2016, Lowe added, which would extend his free agency status until the summer of 2017. By this time he will already have 10 years of experience under his belt allowing him to sign for a significantly bigger max contract.

But the prospect of returning home and playing with the place and people that you grew up with is what the Washington Wizards are hoping that Durant would consider heavily when making his decision in the summer of 2016. And right now, its already weighing in on his head, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne:

"I'm going to do what's best for me," Durant said. "It's hard to talk about that right now when I've got two years left in Oklahoma City. I'm just going to focus on that. I'm not going to make a decision based on what anybody else does. I grew up watching the Bullets/Wizards. I grew up taking the train to that arena, all the time, to watch Georgetown, the Bullets, the Washington Mystics. That whole city is a part of me. It's in my blood. I love going back home, seeing my family and playing there, but I love Oklahoma City too."

I'm sure that Washington is willing to give a lot to sign a player like Durant but the reigning league MVP still has two years remaining in his five year contract with the Thunder and right now all the Wizards and the rest of the league can do is prepare and wait for the summer of 2016 where they will have a real shot at acquiring the "Slim Reaper".