John Wall Confirms That He’ll Definitely Try To Recruit Kevin Durant To The Wizards

The summer of 2016 is a year away, but you can bet your bottom dollar that the chatter about Kevin Durant‘s impending free agency is going to dominate the headlines in OKC and elsewhere and be the source of endless distraction for the Thunder as they try to work their way back into contention in hopes of retaining their franchise cornerstone.

In the age of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, it’s probably inevitable. After all, he’s set to become the biggest free agent since LeBron James in 2010, right about the time that all 30 teams around the league will enter the summer with a salary cap rocketing toward the $90 million mark.

Aside from Oklahoma City, the smart money says that the Washington Wizards have the best shot of landing the 2014 MVP. Durant is a native of the D.C. area, and that’ll be a major part of the allure when All-Star point guard John Wall eventually seizes the opportunity to pitch KD on the idea of coming home. Here’s what Wall had to say about it in a recent television interview with CSN Mid-Atlantic:

“There’s gonna be an opportunity to throw a pitch at him to try to get him to come back home,” Wall said. “But I know one thing of just knowing him he’s going to be very focused on taking care of Oklahoma City this season, and I’m going to be focused on taking care of the Washington Wizards. But when the time is right and he can get away from all that, yeah, we’ll probably have some conversation and throw a pitch, but I know what he’s focused on, and I know what I’m focused on.”

The good news for Wall is that essentially all of the pressure is on OKC. Some believe it’s championship or bust, but others think it’ll be much harder than you might imagine to pry Durant away from a sidekick like Russell Westbrook and a team that’s been right on the brink of NBA immortality at various points over the years, if only a few things had turned out differently.

But Wall and the Wizards will have a compelling argument as well. To be certain, John Wall isn’t Russell Westbrook. And that might not be such a bad thing when you stop to consider all of its implications. Wall is arguably just as good a defender as Westbrook, and he’s far more willing to assume the role of pass-first distributor. With Bradley Beal at the other wing, that will help relieve some of the offensive load. And did we mention that the Washington Wizards play in the Eastern Conference?

Even if Durant ultimately spurns Washington’s advances and decides to stay put, it won’t be for lack of effort on the part of Wall and the Wizards.

(via CSN Mid-Atlantic)

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