“I’m Coming Home.” This was the headline on Sports Illustrated to announce that LeBron James was going back to his roots, Cleveland Ohio, to try to win a long awaited championship.
Many people have praised his choice to return to his town and try to win a ring for “his people.” His former teammate and close friend, Dwyane Wade, supported it by saying “You gotta do what makes you happy,” and he said “the decision to go back home was that.” NBA Legend, Charles Barkley, talked and said he did not think LeBron should have left Cleveland in the first place.
The most notable NBA Star to talk highly of LeBron’s return home was the 2013-2014 MVP, Kevin Durant. Durant said, “[It was] a great move to do a letter, that was cool, It’s fun to see a guy think about more than basketball for once … He thought about the city where he comes from, and Northeast Ohio, and how he can affect so many kids. It’s bigger than basketball. I love that.”
Durant probably thought everyone assumed he was just giving his opinion about LeBron’s return. Well, he thought wrong. Everyone in the media began reading between the lines very quickly, and the speculation is very interesting.
During the 2016 off season Durant will become a free agent. While many believe he will not leave the Oklahoma City Thunder there are reports that the Washington Wizards will be in hot pursuit of the MVP. Why is it so interesting that the Wizards want Durant? Durant was born and raised in the D.C. area and the Wizards were one of his favorite teams growing up. So if Durant were to make the decision to go to the Wizards, he would be following LeBron James’ decision by returning home.
We can see why going to Wizards would attract Durant emotionally, but would it be a good basketball choice as well? On the Thunder the next guy to Durant is Russell Westbrook who scored, 26.7 points per game and averages 8.1 assists per game. The two of them are considered the best 1-2 punch in the league. The Thunder also have the big man with a ton of potential, Serge Ibaka. He is a great third scoring option for the team and is a beast on the defensive end of the floor.
If Durant would go to the Wizards he would create the best back court in the whole league. They have the speedy quick Point Guard in John Wall who averaged 16.3 points per game and 7.1 assists. They also have Shooting Guard, Bradley Beal, who stepped up and had a magnificent sophomore season by scoring 19.2 points per game. The Wizards also have two big men, Nene and Marcin Gortat, who are solid players but are not Serge Ibaka.
So when comparing the Thunder and the Wizards, if Durant were to stay with the Thunder he would have a lethal scorer and a great post player alongside of him. On the Wizards he would not have as much help in the post but he would have two great young scorers in the back court instead of just one on the Thunder.
Either choice would be a good basketball choice for Durant. The Thunder have a lot of experience in the postseason while the Wizards just got in the picture last year. The Wizards have made the playoffs without Durant already and nobody knows if the Thunder could have done that.
The off season of 2016 will be a interesting one to say the least. Will Durant follow suit and return to his home? Or continue to try to win a championship for Oklahoma City? No matter what choice he makes the team will be a championship contender, because Durant is on the team. We still have two seasons until then, so for right now let’s just enjoy Durant dominating on the Thunder.
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