Kevin Durant indicated the New York Knicks were never a consideration for him in free agency, despite frequent reports of the Big Apple as his destination during the 2019-20 NBA season.
The New York Knicks losing out on Kevin Durant made for its own offseason storyline. With the two-time NBA champion off to the Brooklyn Nets, it marked a changing basketball landscape in the five boroughs, including the addition of Kyrie Irving.
The Durant-to-the-Knicks rumors arguably highlighted the 2019-20 NBA season for the blue and orange, as they struggled to compete and further bottomed out with the Kristaps Porzingis trade; so, that made the following comments a surprise.
Earlier this month, Durant sat down with Yahoo’s Chris Haynes for some of his first comments since free agency. For the previous perception of the future Hall of Famer joining the Knicks, while he did not say their name, the Nets were always his option if he left the Golden State Warriors — a team featuring into own group of players destined to be immortalized:
"“If I was leaving the Warriors, it was always going to be for the Nets. They got the pieces and a creative front office. I just like what they were building.”"
Surprising, maybe, but what is there for Durant to say about the Knicks? It is meaningless, either way, since he has a contract with Brooklyn, where he opted to rehab his ruptured Achilles and play for the next few years.
Any Knicks comments could have created a circus, similar to his previous public comments. It was never like Irving talking his way out of Boston, but created its own hoopla along the way, including an early-season spat with Draymond Green.
Free agency was nearly two months ago, as well, so any Durant-Knicks conversation holds no value. The dust settled on it, as everyone moved on, with New York signing a batch of players, after striking out on free agency’s biggest names. Julius Randle, Marcus Morris and Bobby Portis were among the players to capitalize on the $70 million in cap space.
For future superstar pursuits, the Knicks, at least for free agency, could have Anthony Davis in their headlights. Otherwise, it is a group of significantly fewer big names.
2021 is when Durant-esque players will return to the market — for now. Giannis Antetokounmpo could headline this class if he does not take an extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard can also opt-out of their respective contracts with the Los Angeles Clippers.
So, while Durant always intended for the Nets if he left the Warriors, the New York Knicks will have options. They may not come to fruition for two years, but if the franchise returns to its superstar pursuits, options will be prevalent with available money.