It’s been quite an eventful week for Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant, who has tried (and failed) to hush talks of a move in free agency this summer to the New York Knicks.
The 10-time All-Star and 30-year-old forward, who has been linked with the Knicks since the summer after it became known he would likely test the market on Jul. 1, saw the rumor mill shift into overdrive after New York traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. The move helped the Knicks clear up a projected total of $71 million in cap space this summer where a big chunk of it will likely be devoted to Durant.
That seemed to be the last straw for Durant, who snapped at the media for their continued speculation on where he’ll be playing his basketball at the start of the 2019-20 season.
“I have nothing to do with the Knicks,” Durant said. “I don’t know who traded Porzingis. They got nothing to do with me. I’m trying to play basketball.”
Had Durant continued to just play basketball, maybe those rumors would have died down a little bit. The problem is, he made a move that ushered in even more speculation this week.
ESPN reported on Monday that Durant is moving his production company, Thirty Five Ventures, to New York in a move the two-time Finals MVP “insists is a careful expansion.”
Sure, it may be careful, but is it logical? Not exactly if he’s spending most of his year in the Bay Area playing for the Warriors. It’s a completely different story if he signs for the Knicks.
It would be a confusing move to see Durant leave a team that is the middle of a dynastic run for one that has been dysfunctional for the past 20 years, even more so this season.
The Knicks are by far the worst team in the NBA, currently on a franchise-record 17-game losing streak that has them well-positioned for the No. 1 pick of the 2019 NBA Draft that could become Duke standout, Zion Williamson.
The youngster’s ceiling and the abundance of money accrued by the Knicks will only add to the allure of playing in New York, which has obviously been a tough sell given the trials and tribulations of ownership and management.
A free-agency spending frenzy that would supply more than one All-Star would quickly make New York one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Add that to the possibility of delivering a championship to a starving franchise and the Knicks are only going to look more attractive to a player like Durant.
