If a year ago you heard Kevin Durant was going to leave Golden State for New York, you probably would not have been all that surprised.
But if you found out KD ultimately joined the Nets, well, you might have been a bit taken aback.
The majority of the chatter over the past year-plus indicated Durant was going to join the New York Knicks on the open market. In fact, one report a few months ahead of the start of free agency claimed Durant joining the Knicks was “100 percent done.” Unfortunately for the Knicks, the two-time Finals MVP opted for Brooklyn, where he’ll join forces with Kyrie Irving.
As it turns out, the Knicks didn’t even have a fighting chance in the Durant sweepstakes.
“If I was leaving the Warriors, it was always going to be for the Nets,” Durant told Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes. “They got the pieces and a creative front office. I just like what they were building.”
There you have it.
The appeal of the Knicks never really made a ton of sense. While restoring championship glory in New York would have elevated Durant’s stock to incredible heights, committing long term to the franchise would have come with great risk. Even if KD managed to bring Irving along with him, he likely would have been in store for much more headaches than joys.
Durant seems to have made the right decision, but he’ll have to wait to see if it pays off. A ruptured Achilles sustained in early June likely will wipe away Durant’s entire 2019-20 season.
