Earlier this week, it was reported that the OKC Thunder were retiring the jersey of franchise legend Russell Westbrook. His No. 0 will hang in the rafters alongside fellow Thunder legend Nick Collison for all eternity.
Of course, innately, the ceremony on February 7th will raise the obvious question: who's next?
Though he's still playing, Kevin Durant may be the next Thunder alumnus deserving of the honor, and yes, it may ruffle a few feathers.
Kevin Durant betrayal will end up be weighed against Thunder accolades
The Oklahoma City fanbase still has scars from the Slim Reaper's infamous betrayal. After blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, Durant made the controversial decision not only to leave OKC, but to join the very franchise that ousted them from the playoffs the year prior.
Of course, KD's sour end to his Oklahoma City tenure shouldn't overshadow his accomplishments while wearing the orange and blue.
Instead, they must be weighed side-by-side to determine if his jersey deserves to be hung up alongside his former teammate's.
While with the Thunder organization, Durant won four scoring titles, an MVP award, and led them to four Western Conference Finals appearances and, in 2012, their first-ever NBA Finals.
He was named an All-Star in all seven of his seasons in Bricktown as well.
It's difficult, if not impossible, to argue that his jersey doesn't deserve to be retired based on his accomplishments alone.
Therefore, a decision to ignore his Thunder resume would stem solely from the decade-old grudge the city has held against their former superstar.
Thunder might find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place
The reality is there may not be an obvious solution to the dilemma. While the franchise surely has some deliberation to do, much of the fanbase will be left dissatisfied regardless of where management lands on this particular issue.
If Durant's jersey is retired, there will be many who remember his decision to abandon the franchise that drafted him, all but forcing them into a long-term rebuild.
However, if they choose to overlook him, there will be many who acknowledge that the move was done out of spite, not logic, thus diluting the integrity of the entire jersey retirement process.
With this in mind, the Thunder organization will eventually have an important decision on their hands, one that may not have a correct answer.
That being said, GM Sam Presti has yet to steer the organization wrong to this point, and it's a safe assumption that whatever decision he and ownership come to will be well thought out and appropriate.
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