Nets' Kevin Durant Rips Host on Twitter Who Said He Should've Signed with Knicks
January 9, 2020
There are some in New York still upset that Kevin Durant didn't sign with the Knicks.
Durant's message: Get over it.
The Brooklyn Nets star took exception to tweets from radio host Brandon Tierney, who said no one in the city "cares" about the team's recent seven-game losing streak.
Brandon Tierney @BrandonTierneyNothing but respect for your game, but the reality is simple: the Mecca had your name all over it, and you passed up the shot. I’m from BK, it’s in my blood. But NYC is ALL about the Knicks. And always will be. At least @carmeloanthony got in the batter’s box. Took a swing. https://t.co/9mU91UPs6N
Tierney's position, like some in the city, appears to be that Durant signed for the "lesser" of the two New York franchises when he and Kyrie Irving went to the Brooklyn Nets over teaming up on the Knicks. Durant is slated to miss the entire 2019-20 season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, while Irving has been limited to 11 games with a shoulder injury.
The Knicks were long rumored as the preferred destination of Irving and Durant until the Nets were also able to open up two max contract slots. It's unclear if the Knicks would have landed both without the Nets jumping in the fray, but the franchise didn't even get a meeting once free agency started. Irving's deal was one of the first announced during the free-agency period, and Durant soon followed via a sign-and-trade that sent D'Angelo Russell to the Warriors.
Durant appeared to be relishing in the Twitter sparring session, replying to a number of fans Wednesday night—as he's wont to do on occasion. The Knicks are again one of the worst teams in basketball with no real promise for success in the near future. They dismissed coach David Fizdale earlier this season and will likely be retooling their front office come April.
That lack of organizational structure likely played a large part in Durant and Irving "avoiding the spotlight" by signing in Brooklyn, which slowly rebuilt its roster after the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce trade debacle stripped the franchise bare of assets.