*We’ve got some very bad news for fans of the Oklahoma Thunder which means we have good news for Golden State Warriors fans.
This morning, Kevin Durant said he intends to sign with the Warriors, leaving Oklahoma City and rejecting other four franchises that made pitches for his services during a whirlwind weekend in the Hamptons.
“The primary mandate I had for myself in making this decision was to have it based on the potential for my growth as a player — as that has always steered me in the right direction,” Durant wrote on The Players’ Tribune, a new media company, founded by Derek Jeter and partially owned by Durant. “But I am also at a point in my life where it is of equal importance to find an opportunity that encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth.
“With this in mind, I have decided that I am going to join the Golden State Warriors.”
READ RELATED STORY: Charles Barkley Gives Kevin Durant Some Twitter Advice
Durant can’t officially sign with the Warriors until the NBA’s moratorium lifts at 9:01 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, when he is expected to ink a two-year, max deal for $54.3 million. He’ll hold a player option for the second season of the contract.
In addition to the Warriors and Thunder, the Celtics, Clippers, Heat and Spurs met with Durant, his agent Rich Kleiman and his business manager Charlie Bell.
The Warriors’ contingent of owner Joe Lacob, general manager Bob Myers, Kerr and players Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson made enough of an impression to persuade Durant to leave the only franchise for which he’s played during his nine-season career.
Durant had the parting words for the fans of OKC:
“I’m from Washington, D.C. originally, but Oklahoma City truly raised me,” Durant wrote. “It taught me so much about family as well as what it means to be a man. There are no words to express what the organization and the community mean to me, and what they will represent in my life and in my heart forever. The memories and friendships are something that go far beyond the game. Those invaluable relationships are what made this deliberation so challenging.
“It really pains me to know that I will disappoint so many people with this choice, but I believe I am doing what I feel is the right thing at this point in my life and my playing career.”
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