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Kevin Durant has NSFW response to LeBron-Warriors rumor

OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 25: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors blocks the shot of LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers late in the fouth quarter of an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on December 25, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 25: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors blocks the shot of LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers late in the fouth quarter of an NBA basketball game at ORACLE Arena on December 25, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

An ESPN report published Wednesday night saying LeBron James would be open to meeting with the Golden State Warriors once he becomes a free agent certainly raised some eyebrows.

It appears Kevin Durant was among that group.

Asked about the report Thursday, Durant offered this NSFW response:

Golden State, for a player of James’ caliber, of course, would have to somehow carve out the cap space for a max deal for James to consider the Warriors as a possible option should he leave Cleveland for a second time.

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Durant knows anything can happen in the NBA. The fact that he left the Oklahoma City Thunder for Golden State in the first place is a perfect example of how quickly things can change.

“In this league, just like a few years ago with me coming here, nobody would have thought that,” Durant said. “There’s part of me as a basketball player where it’s like, ‘Let’s just worry about basketball.’ But the other side, we know it’s a business as well and a lot of crazy things have happened since I’ve been in the league.”

The report, written by Chris Haynes, says James, “out of respect for the Warriors,” would “listen” if Golden State reached out in free agency. Haynes also noted that “there is no indication the Warriors are evaluating” the possibility of James joining Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and the rest of the defending NBA champions.

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There would have to be a lot moving parts for this far-fetched scenario to come to fruition. James, who is expected to decline his player option to remain with the Cavs and become an unrestricted free agent, would certainly catch a ton of heat if he were to choose Golden State, too. In Durant’s eyes, the likelihood of criticism should not play a role in that type of decision.

He would know firsthand.

“Who cares? I look too far into that sometimes. We all look too far into what other people are going to say when you make a decision like that,” Durant said. “But who cares at the end of the day? We’re all just playing basketball. To be honest, I don’t think anybody really goes to sleep thinking about this stuff unless you’re really in it. The real people know that the most important stuff happens on the court.”

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Sam Cooper is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!