Kevin Durant Rumors: Current, Ex-Teammates Think Warriors Star Joins Knicks
Even as Kevin Durant puts up dominant postseason numbers for the Golden State Warriors, rumors of him heading to New York are not going away.
Ian Begley of ESPN reported that "several" current teammates and some former teammates of Durant's expect him to sign with the Knicks in free agency this summer.
"Just a matter of putting pen to paper," an agent told Begley.
Executives around the league not only expect Durant to be a Knick but also Kyrie Irving to sign as well. The Knicks have two max-level spaces available and could opt to trade whomever they take in the 2019 NBA draft for a third star. Kemba Walker is also seen as a potential co-star for Durant and has "fans" in the Knicks front office.
Durant being linked to New York is nothing new; it's been an ongoing storyline throughout the 2018-19 season. The rumors became so pervasive after the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis (along with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee) to open up a second max slot that Durant had a well-publicized blowup with the media.
"I have nothing to do with the Knicks," Durant told reporters. "I don't know who traded [Kristaps] Porzingis. That got nothing to do with me. I'm trying to play basketball. Y'all come in here every day, ask me about free agency, ask my teammates, my coaches, rile up the fans about it," he said. "Let us play basketball. That's all I'm saying.
"Now when I don't want to talk to y'all, it's a problem with me. C'mon, man. Grow up. Grow up...I come in here and go to work every day. I don't cause no problems. I play the right way. Well, I try to play the right way. I try to be the best player I can be every possession. What's the problem? What am I doing to y'all?"
The Durant-to-New York speculation feels almost akin to the LeBron James-to-Los Angeles talk a year ago. At the time, it was easy to dismiss the Lakers rumors because of the team's recent struggles to land top free agents. James wound up signing a four-year deal in Los Angeles that proved every theory correct.
The mood in Golden State all season has made it seem like Durant's departure was inevitable. His much-publicized blowup with Draymond Green laid all the dirty laundry out on the table.
It would be hard to blame Durant if he saw New York as the salvo to his reputation. Saving the Knicks would be his version of James returning to Cleveland and winning a championship. To fix a messy, downtrodden franchise in the Mecca of basketball might help undo some of the damage done to his reputation in Golden State.
