When Kevin Durant becomes a free agent this summer, the Knicks are hoping to lure him to New York where he can be the savior for a franchise starving for a championship.

But is that what Durant wants at the next stage of his career?

In a recent Q&A with Kerith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area, the two-time NBA Finals MVP revealed that "building something" elsewhere was not a priority of his, nor does he believe his legacy will factor into his decision as a free agent.

"It doesn't" he said. "I'm just focused on the day to day. How can I be the best player I can be? Can this environment help me be the best player that I can be every day? Am I still learning? Am I still having fun being a student of the game?"

Durant, a 12-time All-Star and league MVP in 2013-14, has won two NBA Finals with the Warriors and could be on his way to a third this season but his biggest criticism has been that he had to join an already stacked Warriors team to win those titles and has never been able to do it on his own.

The Knicks are in the midst of vying for the No. 1 draft pick and would certainly be a team he could join that could erase that narrative if successful.

Fans have been trying to follow any possible hints of where he will choose to go, but in his Q&A, he did not indicate that he felt the need to "build something" elsewhere, although he was not asked about any team specifically.

"I don't need anything in this basketball world to fulfill anything in me," he said. "The NBA is never going to fulfill me. It's going to make me feel good about all the work that I've put in, but I think those days of me wanting to prove something to anybody or walk around with a huge chip on my shoulder is not my thing.

"It wasn't before, and I felt like I had to program myself to play with a chip on my shoulder, but I'm never good in that situation. ... I don't feel like I need anything like that to prove who I am. I've been in it for too long."

Durant said that as long as he just focuses on becoming a better player, the accomplishments will follow.

"I never really planned anything in my career. I never really said I wanted to get a scoring title or an MVP or a gold medal," he said. "Just put me in this arena or this environment, and let's see what happens. That's always been the approach. Luckily, I've been able to accomplish some things."

Popular in the Community