Stephen A. Smith Urges Kevin Durant to Return to OKC if Playoffs End Poorly

The writing is on the wall that Kevin Durant’s tenure with the Suns is over. But what will his next destination be? Despite still being one of the best players in the league, his market isn’t as robust as it would seem. Although a handful of teams will bang and claw at Phoenix’s door to acquire Durant, Stephen A. Smith believes a return to one particular team is best fit for the two-time NBA champion.

A reunion between Durant and the Warriors is off the table following the Jimmy Butler trade. Instead, Smith believes KD should head back to the Thunder if they fall short in the playoffs this year.

During his tenure, Durant became the most hated player in OKC’s franchise history. But Smith feels enough time has passed for both parties to move forward.

Smith took to ESPN’s Get Up to share his bold opinion on Durant’s unknown future. The Thunder have all the tools to complete a deal for Durant while maintaining a contending roster around him. Smith thinks it’s a no-brainer.

“The Oklahoma City Thunder should go and get Kevin Durant back,” Smith proclaimed. “They have so many assets, they have stuff to give away, they can’t possibly use all of them.”

“The Oklahoma City Thunder should go and get Kevin Durant back.”

—@stephenasmith on where KD should land if the Thunder don’t win it all this season pic.twitter.com/uaB3qO26yn

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 3, 2025

The famous sports media personality isn’t exaggerating. Oklahoma City has 12 first-round picks until 2031. In the 2025 NBA Draft alone, the Thunder have 4 first-round picks. They simply don’t have enough roster spots to be able to use their picks.

Thunder executive Sam Presti has done a marvelous job putting the franchise in the best position to form a championship roster. However, Smith demands Presti make the difficult decision to close the deal and finally bring the Thunder their first title.

Smith doubts the Thunder can make a deep postseason run

The Thunder have separated themselves from the rest of the Western Conference this season. They comfortably hold the top seed with a 49-11 record, while maintaining a 28-10 record in conference play, which leads the West.

Despite their dominance, Smith can’t trust the Thunder to make a deep run, saying, “I don’t know if there’s some black cat running around that franchise, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but somehow, someway, they find a way not to get it done.”

Smith continued, “So until they do, no I’m not going to put my money on them — but I’ll put my money in SGA all day, every day — that brother is the real deal.”

OKC’s past shortcomings prevent Smith from believing in the currently constructed team. He has the utmost faith in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but can’t attach that to the team itself.

The only way the ESPN analyst will be able to believe in the Thunder is if they hold the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the season. Until that happens, he refuses to believe they can make a deep postseason run.