Durant believes former No. 2 pick Thabeet will get a shot in NBA again

From one No. 2 to another, Kevin Durant believes his friend and former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Hasheem Thabeet can have another shot at playing in the NBA. He hasn't appeared in an NBA game since the 2013-14 season with the Thunder.

As reported by Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Durant is hopeful that another team - after four unsuccessful attempts in seven years and three D-League stints - will give the No. 2 pick in the 2009 draft a look.

"Hasheem knows that no one feels sorry for him, so he's not feeling sorry for himself," Durant told The Undefeated. "He's one of the hardest workers and by far one of the best people that I know. He's one of the best teammates I've ever had. He'll get a shot again. He's being patient. Rim protectors always come back around. He'll get a shot."

The 29-year-old Thabeet is training with Frank Matrisciano in San Francisco, "transforming" his mind and body. Since he relocated there in April, the New York Knicks came to see him, and the Washington Wizards and L.A. Lakers invited him to their open trials, but there's no imminent deal on the table for the long-time free agent.

"I still have time. I'm a young man and I just decided that if you want different results, a better me, be better mind-wise," Thabeet said of not giving up on a return to the NBA. "You have to invest. I made a few calls to a few people, and they recommended me to Frank Matrisciano. I'm in a great state of mind. I'm happy with everything. I know in my heart that I worked. I worked at very high level."

Thabeet remains positive in his journey, though he wonders if the business side couldn't give more feedback to the players.

"I just wish I was told by a GM, and the people who got rid of me, 'What did I do wrong?' Nobody ever told me what I'm not doing right," he said. "You're just there until you're gone. 'Why? Why am I leaving?'"