Durant denies telling teammates he was staying in Oklahoma City

Golden State Warriors recruit Kevin Durant insisted he did not tell Russell Westbrook he would re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Reports have emerged claiming Durant told fellow NBA All-Star Westbrook that he was returning to Oklahoma City.

Durant, instead, joined Western Conference rivals the Warriors as a free agent in a blockbuster move earlier in July.

But the 2014 MVP rejected those reports as “false”, having already denied Westbrook was a factor in his decision to leave the Thunder.

“I didn’t say that – words about me telling Russell or Nick [Collison] that I would stay or leave never came out of my mouth,” Durant told The Vertical on Thursday.

“We met as team-mates, but no promises came out of it. In this day and age, I can’t control anything people claim out there. Someone can go out and say something random right now, and people will believe it.

“I never told Russell or Nick, ‘All right, guys, I’m coming back to the Thunder’ – and then a week later, I decide not to. Never happened. I don’t operate like that. I heard people say that story, but it’s not the truth.”

Durant continued: “There were never promises given in a meeting before July. I went through the process.”