Festus Ezeli had an interesting message for about 150 children attending his free basketball camp this week at the Bayview Hunters Point YMCA:

“This is kind of selfish for me,” Ezeli said. “You’re actually cheering me up. You’re making me realize that I do greater good than just basketball.

“I can make a change for the better in somebody’s life.”

Ezeli lifted up child after child for his or her first career dunk Tuesday, but he admitted that his happy appearance took required a bit of a performance on the heels of the Warriors’ collapse in the NBA Finals and on the brink of his free agency.

The Warriors’ center will become a restricted free agent at 9:01 p.m. Thursday, meaning the franchise can match any offer sheet he signs with an opposing team. The Warriors’ first priority, however, is chasing Kevin Durant, which means Ezeli has to wait.

If the Warriors persuade Durant to leave Oklahoma City for the Bay Area, they’ll have to clear more than $26 million in salary-cap space. They’ll have to renounce the restricted labels on Ezeli and Harrison Barnes, shop center Andrew Bogut and probably wave goodbye to their other six free agents.

It’ll be a complete overhaul of the only franchise Ezeli has known.

“I try not to think about it,” said Ezeli, attempting to maintain his stoic image. “It’s hard to think about. …

“At the end of the day, it’s a business. You have to be professional about it.”

Ezeli, a four-year pro who didn’t play in 2013-14, has improved his numbers each year and this season averaged career bests in points (7), rebounds (5.6), and blocks (1.1).

But despite his development, Ezeli was the 291st-highest-paid player in the league last season. He has made a total of about $3.2 million in four seasons, a fraction of what he’ll make during a free-agency period that is expected to land him more than $12 million per season.

“The money is not why I do this,” Ezeli said. “It’s great, because I get to take care of my family. But, I do this because I enjoy it. I love this game. If I didn’t love this game anymore, I wouldn’t play.

“I can always find something else to do, and I could always be really good at something else. But, I really enjoy it and the people around me. Being here in the Bay Area with the Golden State Warriors has made me love this game even more. I never knew I could love the game as much as I do.”

Ezeli was voted by the Warriors as the franchise’s best teammate this season. He has made no qualms about wanting to stay in the Bay Area.

Ezeli said he hadn’t even prioritized other potential landing spots yet — although nearly every NBA team is looking for 7-footers capable of defending the pick-and-roll. He said he’d love to be a starter one day, but even that doesn’t trump his loyalty to the Warriors.

“You just never know where you’re going to be, but as long as I’m in the NBA, I can’t complain about much,” he said. “I’m just excited to be here right now. I want to keep working on my craft, and some day, I want to be considered one of the best at what I do.”

Ezeli talked to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr on the phone Tuesday morning. The big man said he plans to remain in Northern California during free agency, instead of going to Los Angeles and meeting with teams.

He’ll spend the Fourth of July with his family in Sacramento and make a handful of appearances during the summer at the Bayview Hunters Point YMCA while his agent, Billy Duffy, deals with his free agency.

In an anecdote that speaks to his commitment to the Warriors, Ezeli sent a celebratory tweet to Damian Jones on draft night. Jones could be seen as his replacement, but Ezeli said he didn’t care about the politics of the pick.

“We’ve been through a lot as a team,” Ezeli said. “You have to mature really quickly in this league, and we’ve accelerated that with all of the attention and spotlights we’ve received. This is another chapter in our book. This is something we’ll look back on and say, ‘That sucked, but looked how it turned out in the end.’

“I can’t wait to see the next chapter.”

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

76ers’ interest in Barnes

The 76ers reportedly are looking for leadership during the coming NBA free-agent season — and may pursue Warriors forward Harrison Barnes to get it.

According to an ESPN report that quoted league sources, the 76ers will make a “serious push” for Barnes when free agency begins at 9:01 p.m. Thursday.

League sources believe Barnes will get a four-year max deal, which will start at about $22.2 million in 2016-17. But as long as the Warriors have restricted rights on Barnes, they can match any offer sheet he signs within three days.

However, those decisions aren’t expected in the early hours of the NBA moratorium. The Warriors first plan to chase Kevin Durant, and Barnes’ agent, Jeff Schwartz, also represents marquee free agents Hassan Whiteside and Andre Drummond.

On Tuesday, in an interview with SiriusXM Radio, Barnes said, “The first thing is: I want to come back.”

Barnes started 59 of the 66 games he played this season and averaged a career-best 11.7 points, but his effectiveness dipped dramatically in the NBA Finals.

— Mike Lerseth and Rusty Simmons