Kevin Durant said again this week that he had no intention of joining the Knicks as a free agent last summer, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Appearing on J.J. Redick‘s podcast, Durant said he welcomed a more comfortable situation with the Nets rather than trying to turn around a downtrodden franchise.
“Around February (2019) I was thinking I didn’t want to be the savior of the Knicks or New York,’’ Durant said. “That never really moved me. I didn’t care about being on Broadway. I just want to play ball and go to the crib and chill. So I felt like that’s what Brooklyn embodied. And I wanted to live in New York. And I felt like Brooklyn is everything I’m about — chill, on the low, all-black everything, we’re quiet. Just focus on basketball. There’s no show when you come to our games. No Madison Square, no mecca. … We’re just going to hoop and build something new in Brooklyn.”
Durant noticed the hype about him coming to the Knicks, especially after New York traded Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas in a deal that cleared enough cap space for two maximum contracts. Sources say Rich Kleiman, who serves as Durant’s manager and agent, supported the idea of Durant joining the Knicks but wasn’t able to convince him.
“I never planned on going to the Knicks,’’ Durant said. “That was just the media putting that out there, especially when I didn’t sign a three-year deal (as a free agent in 2018). Once I signed a (one-year deal), just the noise got louder about me going to the Knicks for some reason. Knicks being the savior, you know how that goes. Every time a big free agent is up, the Knicks are going to get him. So it just took off.”
There’s more from New York:
- The Knicks are in a better position to build for the future this offseason, notes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Former team president Steve Mills focused on landing big-name free agents, which led to his dismissal when the strategy failed. Leon Rose and his new management team can afford to build through the draft, where the Knicks have seven first-rounders in the next four years, or they can use some of those picks to facilitate trades.
- New York could make a bold move by dealing for Thunder point guard Chris Paul, suggests Steve Popper of Newsday. Even though the 35-year-old doesn’t fit in with the current youth movement, Popper states that he would instantly become the best player on the team and could help new coach Tom Thibodeau develop the younger talent. Paul remains close to Rose, his former agent, and the Knicks could create enough cap room to avoid having to match his $41.3MM salary for next season in a trade. Popper speculates that Paul and Rose could be enough to attract free agent Carmelo Anthony back to New York.
- The eight teams not invited to Orlando can begin workouts Monday, and Popper writes in the same story that the Knicks expect to have almost all their players attending — even the potential free agents.
Why would they want Melo back? Something to write about, no more. Let him go; he’s moved west.
If melo goes, it would be to BROOKLYN
The Durant ship sailed a long time ago now. What would a 35 year old Chris Paul do for a team that is nowhere near winning. Attract Carmelo? Are you insane? The only route for this team is to draft and develop. Need to stop living in the past. Those are the type of guys that winning teams look for to get over the top.
RJ Barret and Mitchell Robinson are a start. They need to keep working and drafting to find young guys who can play. There are no quick fixes.
I refuse to believe Rose would be clueless enough to bring back Melo. Whatever upside CP3 would bring to the development of young players, Melo would bring twice that (or more) in downside. He was a cancer on the team, from the day he got here to the day he left. Any chance of developing a team of 2 way team players would be gone.
Hahaha. there hasn’t been a “show” when you go to Knicks games in forever. I’ve been to a few in the past 5 years and the only “show” is how pissed off fans are going to get
And also “Paul and Rose could be enough to attract free agent Carmelo Anthony back to New York”?
Melo would go back to NY for a ham sandwich.
Cracks me up. It’s amazing how easy you can push a narrative today. Just look at Trump. Where even flat out lying to your face is ok with people.
Did you read what KD said. He said “ Every time a big free agent is up, the Knicks are going to get him. So it just took off.”
This is the nonsense we got to deal with. Plus a clueless owner. Most who come here can’t deal with one of them. If you know basketball. You know Knicks don’t have a team. For a KD n Kyrie to come to. Best way to change all that. Is to build a team first. That’s what the Knicks are doing. Best way to do that is thru the draft. Real Knick fans don’t want KD. Cause we ain’t ready for that. Plus he ain’t no alpha. He and Kyrie are chasing Brons legacy. And are dying to be mentioned in the same breath as him. So if they can’t be on Broadway. They can try off Broadway lol.
Knicks haven’t rebuilt a team since Ewing days. And even that one was not done right. We are in a good place right now. With three picks in this draft. We have a yr with Thibs leading the way. To build a descent young team. Then go after FA next yr. Or even trade for a player with all the picks we have. The future is Bright. Believe me, that’s a good thing for a Knicks fan.
ShUT uP aNd DriBBle.
KD is strerching it with those comments. He didnt want to join the Knicks dysfunction and thats ok. But Madsion Square Garden is 5 miles from the Nets arena. Location had nothing to do with it.
Knicks do not need the Sunshine Boys. Paul and Melo will qualify for social security soon. Knicks need young players
Knicks should try for Westbrook since the Westbrook and Harden experiment failed
Giannis and Westbrook would be a dream team no matter who you put around them. But this is New York, where DREAMS DONT COME TRUE ! Haha
There’s no way I would want Russell Westbrook. He is everything that he’s been in the past but now he gets hurt all the time. He’s just wild and out of control and his decision making and Shot selection are horrendous.
As much as the NY media wants to portray it as the great designation it is not. Unless a player is from NY or is going to get way over paid they do not want to play there. There is way to much stress of being classified as the franchise. They need to stop worrying about free agents and build a good team from the bottom up.
Couldn’t agree more. Have you noticed. That’s what we are doing. Except for media and fans constantly sending us players. Or making us chase players. For us right now it’s all about the draft. Don’t believe anything you read in the media.
Franchise savior, hmmm…
If I am making eight figures and ballin’ in NY “You won’t be able to knock the smile off my face.” Whoops, wait….
Let’s just say Giannis won’t get traded to the Knicks.
I think they have a legit shot at Harden, if Houston is ready to blow it up. Like a Giannis trade, would they have enough to trade for anyone else tho? And who could they sign that doesn’t waste a year of Harden.
Kevin Love or Blake would be the easiest gets, age/injury/decline. LMA? Gobert?
So 3 years of Harden worth the Mavs picks, RJ, and a few of their own 1sts?