Much of the chatter surrounding Warriors forward Kevin Durant’s pending free agency has centered on a couple of questions: What is he searching for? What will make him feel complete?

But after 11-plus NBA seasons, Durant, 30, has come to realize that nothing in his chosen sport is the key to his happiness.

“I don’t need anything in this basketball world to fulfill anything in me,” Durant told NBC Sports Bay Area in an interview published Friday. “The NBA is never going to fulfill me. It’s going to make me feel good about all of 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’m more relaxed and letting these days flow. I’m the best version of me. I don’t feel like I need anything like that to prove who I am. I’ve been in it for too long.”

Durant has won almost everything basketball has to offer: two NBA titles, two NBA Finals MVPs, one NBA MVP, two All-Star Game MVPs, Rookie of the Year, eight All-NBA selections, four scoring titles, two Olympic gold medals. But it’s his loved ones, not trophies or accolades, that drive him.

“Being around family,” Durant said. “Being around friends. The people who actually love you deep down to your core, who won’t judge you, who will let you grow mentally, physically, you know? Just let you be who you are. I like those environments.

“I love to continue to push the limits on who I am as a person. Just the flow of life and the type of people I want to be around, the environment I want to live in. All that stuff will fulfill me more so than anything ... just building toward something that’s sustained when I’m not even here on this Earth.”

Instead of opting into the final year of his contract with Golden State, Durant is expected to test free agency this summer. His refusal to express any interest in returning to the Warriors has sparked relentless speculation about where he could land next season. The most popular theory has Durant signing with the Knicks, who have two max-salary slots open after trading Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas.

“I know the NBA helped me get there, but I’m not going to be forever indebted to the NBA because this is a 50-50 exchange,” Durant said. “I’ve worked hard to get here, to be at this level, and they gave me a platform to showcase what I can do. We both helped each other out. That’s how I look at it.”

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron