OKLAHOMA CITY – While basketball season is just around the corner, many Oklahoma City Thunder fans are looking ahead to the future of the team.
Thunder superstar Kevin Durant will become a free agent in 2016, meaning he is a hot commodity for many teams across the country.
As the deadline to free agency approaches, many people have been speculating on where Durant will call home.
Last week, Stephen A. Smith said that he heard that Durant may be considering a move to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“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.,” Smith said.
However, Durant has said that is simply not true.
Now, Stephen A. Smith is speaking out about the allegations.
In a segment on ESPN’s First Take, Smith said that he didn’t talk to Kevin Durant about a move to L.A., but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t aware of what is going on.
“At no time did I say that I spoke to Kevin Durant. At no time did I say that I spoke to people in his inner circle. I recall an individual by the name of LeBron James who wasn’t speaking to anybody, but who wrote the story that he was going to South Beach? Since when do I need to sit there and speak to people that you deem trustworthy individuals to find out what is going on with you?” Smith said on First Take. “Kevin Durant is the last person on Earth who should be going off on the media like that. Not that he’s done anything wrong because the guy is a great person, and I still stand here and say that at this moment in time, the NBA is better when Kevin Durant is around. He’s philanthropic, his charitable donations, American Red Cross, the list goes on and on. He’s a phenomenal person, not just a player. But the guy, and the sensitivity that these guys display, the way they are on attack, somebody needs to tell them, it’s time you pumped the brakes. We don’t have to talk to you to talk about you. You want to start something? That’s just not the wise thing to do, especially when you have no validity.”
Smith says that if he was wrong, Durant should have signed an extension with OKC.
“The sensitivity that these guys are showing, they are making unnecessary enemies. I am not one of them. I won’t be. I got too much love and respect for who these guys are and what they mean to my community. But I will say this lastly, you don’t want to make an enemy out of me,” Smith said. “I’ve done nothing wrong and I’m not going to tolerate it.”