Kevin Durant tours Warriors' new Chase Center, stays quiet on future

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Golden State Warriors' recruitment of Kevin Durant took another public step Friday afternoon as the organization gave the All-Star forward a guided tour of Chase Center.

Durant, who is expected to test free agency this summer, toured the Warriors' new facility along with a group of sponsors and media. The Warriors will move into Chase next summer and will begin playing there next season after 47 years at Oracle Arena.

As Durant walked around the construction site, he said he couldn't help but think about what his future may look like if he decides to stay with the Warriors after this season.

"My imagination is going wild right now with possibilities," he said at one point.

Several Warriors players have toured the construction site in the past few months, but Durant was the first player to walk on the ground where the playing floor will be laid next year. Construction workers on-site screamed his name around the building as he made his way around the area.

"I'm thinking about a lot of points being scored," Durant said as he walked around. "The fans are going to love it."

When a reporter asked Durant if he would commit to staying with the Warriors as he considered where his new home would be, Durant smiled and brushed the question aside.

"What are we doing?" Durant said, while Warriors staffers tried to move the tour along. "What are we doing?"

Warriors officials said they had been trying to set up a time for Durant to tour the new facility for months and were happy that his schedule aligned on Friday.

What started as a celebration for a partnership between the organization and a Silicon Valley tech company turned into another layer in the Durant recruitment process, as the former MVP walked around in a construction hat, shorts with high socks, construction boots and safety goggles. Stephen Collins, the head of construction at Chase Center, led the tour as Durant asked a few questions throughout the 40-minute tour.

Before Durant left the site, he signed some autographs and took pictures with construction workers and dignitaries. A Warriors staff member had him sign his construction boots before Durant hopped into a waiting car.

Collins proudly carried the boots away from the site as the Warriors held on to the hope that Durant's glimpse into the future would make the decision to stay in the Bay Area even easier next summer.