Kevin Durant wants to own an NBA team

Kevin Durant has accomplished a lot in the sport of basketball, but the Golden State Warriors forward is far from finished. Durant is likely only about halfway through his Hall of Fame playing career, but he plans on sticking around the sport long after hanging up his Nikes.

As it turns out, Durant wants to own an NBA team. ESPN revealed that Durant is already laying the framework for a future as an owner, reporting that “Over the past year and a half, sources say Durant and his business partner Rich Kleiman have taken numerous meetings with existing owners and tech CEOs to learn the lay of the land.”

The report went on to state that, “Durant has serious intentions of purchasing an NBA team after his playing career, league sources told ESPN.”

In an interview with ESPN, Durant talked at length about former players taking roles with teams, both in ownership positions, and personnel positions. Durant said that, “MJ (Michael Jordan) was the first big Nike athlete, the biggest star of his time, but if you don’t have the trajectory, that path, that journey, it’s going to be hard to do what he did. But you can still affect the NBA and the game of basketball in a different way. You don’t have to be an owner. I think it should be more guys in the positions of power like general managers and scouts and coaches. Anything that involves the day-to-day operations of these franchises. I think more players and more experienced players should be in those positions.”

Jordan, who owns his hometown Charlotte Hornets, is currently the only former NBA player to own a team, as well as the only African-American majority owner.

If Durant finishes his career with the Warriors, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Joe Lacob and Co. offer him a decent-sized minority share of the team. But it certainly seems like Durant has visions of a larger stake, so he may have to wait for a team to come up for sale.

Combine that with Stephen Curry’s desire to purchase the Carolina Panthers, and the Warriors’ superstar tandem could soon be a pair of sports franchise owners.