Knicks Rumors: Kevin Durant’s Warriors teammates think he will leave

Even Kevin Durant’s teammates with the Golden State Warriors think he will leave for the New York Knicks in free agency.

“I am inevitable,” not just suits Avengers: Endgame, but Kevin Durant signing with the New York Knicks. The tea leaves have sat in place for months, with little but him winning a title with the Golden State Warriors as the only potential hiccup.

Those who Durant plays with even thinks he will leave for New York, though, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley. Previous teammates even share the same sentiment:

"It’s easier to find street parking in Manhattan than it is to find an NBA executive, player or coach who doesn’t think Durant is going to sign with the Knicks in July.Some of Durant’s former teammates think it’s going to happen, per ESPN sources. Several of his current teammates have told friends that they think it’s going to happen, sources said. Opposing agents believe it’s a fait accompli: “Just a matter of putting pen to paper,” is how one agent of another top free agent in the 2019 free-agent class put it."

“Just a matter of putting pen to paper” indeed makes this inevitable. Of course, Durant winning another title and staying with a Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green supporting cast is logical. He won’t find similar pieces in place in Manhattan unless Kyrie Irving signs and another big name sneaks in.

Durant had a spat with Green in November about how the former’s impending free agency was handled. It came off as the first “crack” in Golden State’s armor, but everything carried on and this team still topped the Western Conference. Maybe that, along with the endless rumors, play into his teammates of the past and present’s mindset here.

Either way, it seems that Durant-to-the-Knicks will happen in July when teams can officially sign players in the NBA New Year. If so, he is the transformative piece to take this franchise into the postseason and who knows how far.

There is the tale of LeBron James signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, another big-name franchise in a dire state with young players. They missed the playoffs and faced the in-season mess of Anthony Davis trade rumors and injuries. Now, they are in a more uncertain and chaotic state than 12 months ago.

Durant is not exactly walking into that, as the East is not as tightknit in the standings as the West, but the similarities are difficult to ignore.

The New York Knicks can hand Durant a four-year deal for the max contract and make this speculation end with a signature. There are still two months before this may happen, and in-between circumstances can change everything. But the writing is on the wall — it’s inevitable.