WASHINGTON, D.C. — Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes says he stopped following scuttlebutt about NBA transactions after the trade deadline in his rookie year, so he seemed genuinely surprised Tuesday to hear that Kevin Durant might be replacing him.

“Oh man, that’s part of the business,” Barnes said on a phone call before the team’s plane left New York for the nation’s capital. “He’s a great player. If that’s the move they want to make, you know, hopefully, it works out.”

Yahoo Sports reported earlier Tuesday that the Warriors are determined to recruit Durant, Oklahoma City’s All-Star forward, when he becomes a free agent this summer. That much was already known, but the report went further.

According to league sources, Yahoo wrote: “The truth is that (the Warriors are) the most intriguing destination to him. If Durant leaves the Thunder, the Warriors are the significant frontrunners to sign him.”

Acquiring Durant almost would guarantee losing Barnes, who will be a restricted free agent. The Warriors could withdraw their qualifying offer to Barnes and renounce him or — far less likely — use him in a sign-and-trade deal for Durant.

This is nothing new to Barnes. It’s been part of his existence with the Warriors.

“It’s always something, right?” Barnes said. “The first summer, it was Dwight (Howard). The next summer, it was Kevin Love. Every single year, there’s always been somebody who the Warriors wanted or somebody who wanted to come here. That’s part of the business. That stuff happens.

“If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, great. At the end of the day, I’ll still get the chance to be in the NBA and still get to play.”

Barnes is averaging career highs in scoring (11.9 points per game) and assists (1.8), to go with 4.5 rebounds. He missed 16 games from Nov. 28 through Jan. 4 with a high left ankle sprain and bone bruise and has been working his way back into condition during the past 15 games.

The fourth-year forward appeared to be reestablishing himself with a 19-point outburst in the Warriors’ 31-point win over Chicago on Jan. 20, but he has averaged 8.2 points on 35.7 percent three-point shooting in the five games since then.

“I’m feeling good,” Barnes said. “I’m just getting back to playing into game shape and getting my rhythm back. I feel like I’m getting to the point where I can go out there and contribute and not have any pain.

“I feel like I’ve come a long way and I can do a lot of things I used to do. I’m still looking to get my explosion back and not have any pain.”

Barnes hit the game-winner Saturday in Philadelphia, and was a huge part of the Warriors’ championship last season. They were able to start Andre Iguodala in the last three games of the NBA Finals — all wins — because Barnes, a small forward by trade, is strong enough to defend power forwards and centers.

“Harrison is a big part of what we do because of the way the league is nowadays: very few low-post big men,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s a big reason why we really like Harrison.

“It may not always stand out. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but he can guard low-post men, and that gives us a speed advantage at the other end.”

Barnes isn’t the only player who would be affected by the Warriors’ chase of Durant. They’d have to free up about $25 million, meaning they’d probably have to deal Iguodala and center Andrew Bogut, too.

That could create a lot of buzz in the Warriors’ locker room as they try to defend their title and are in the middle of a record-setting regular season. But here’s the thing: The players won’t spend much time trying to digest it.

“Everyone here, we’re locked in on what we need to do,” Barnes said. “I think it’s understood and doesn’t need to be said that what we’re doing right now is special — not only this season, but also historically.

“You don’t want to start looking around and focusing on what’s going on outside of the team or looking forward to different paths. Then, you lose your momentum, and once you lose it, you can’t ever get it back.”

Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: rsimmons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Rusty_SFChron

Wednesday’s game

Who: Warriors (44-4) vs.

Wizards (21-25)

When: 5 p.m.

Where: Washington

TV/Radio: CSNBA, ESPN/680

Things to watch

The Warriors have won eight of their past nine games against the Wizards, including five straight road meetings. The Warriors last won five straight at Washington from November 1961 through October 1962.

Head coach Randy Wittman, whose brother died Saturday, didn’t coach Washington’s loss Monday at Oklahoma City, and he’s not expected to be at Wednesday’s game, either. Assistant coach Don Newman is the sub.

The Wizards have six players averaging double-digit points, including three who are averaging career highs: John Wall 19.5, Bradley Beal 18.1 and Otto Porter 12.3.

The Warriors have dished out at least 30 assists in seven straight games, becoming the first NBA team to accomplish the feat since the 1994 Warriors. The Warriors have a league-leading 26 games with at least 30 assists this season; Atlanta is second on the list with 10.

After being outrebounded 53-27 by Oklahoma City on Monday and being beaten 18-2 on second-chance points, the Wizards rank last in the NBA in rebounds (39.8) and second-chance points (10.3).

— Rusty Simmons