Warriors owner Joe Lacob confident Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry will stay put

When Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors, he signed a one-year contract, although he said he viewed it as a long-term relationship.

Which, considering the early returns, would seem like a good idea. While there have been some minor growing pains, the Warriors currently have the best record in the NBA at 56-6, and Durant is averaging 26.2 ppg in 34 minutes per game.

In a story from USA Today’s Sam Amick, Durant as well as Warriors owner Joe Lacob say this is still just the start of something big:

The Warriors have done well to distract him from the season’s most salacious subplot. Just one day before Westbrook came to town, Durant was the only player to take part in the Chase Center groundbreaking ceremony in San Francisco that was a grand window into a new Warriors world.

He thrilled the locals when he gazed at a picture of the new arena and said “it’ll be fun playing in there,” quelling the fears of those who wonder if there’s any chance he would leave this summer when he can become a free agent. While Durant and back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry are expected to maximize their earnings by signing new deals with the Warriors this summer, it’s a bookkeeping matter that belies the reality of their situation.

“I have no angst whatsoever (about re-signing Durant and Curry),” Warriors owner Joe Lacob told USA TODAY Sports. “I totally am positive (that) I think those guys are going to sign. They’re both free agents. They have a right to do whatever they want. They’ve earned it, and I respect that. If they don’t sign with us for some reason, then shame on me and us. I take responsibility for that. But I don’t see that happening.”

The site on which Durant stood, where the $1 billion privately-financed venue will open in the 2019-20 season, will host their foundation in name alone. It’s Durant, with Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, and whoever else they can afford along the way, that are forging this talent-rich future together.

“I’m liking it here,” Durant said. “I’m liking everything that’s going on. I know what my contract says, but I didn’t plan on coming here for just a year. I’m in it right now, and I’m also just focusing on day by day.

“I know it’s cliché, and you hear that all the time, but I’m seriously just not thinking about it because I’m like – I’m just in it for the long haul.”