Back in 2019, Kevin Durant became the hottest name in the NBA, and it wasn’t even close.
He and Kyrie Irving were expected to team up for an Eastern Conference team as free agents.
As usually happens with the team, the New York Knicks were the so-called frontrunners to sign both, but the stars wound up choosing their city rivals instead, the Brooklyn Nets.
The rest, as you know, is history, and the Nets are still paying the steep price of that move.
However, recently, Durant admitted that his agent was actually pushing for him to sign with the Knicks instead.
He killed that move because the team “wasn’t cool” back then.
With that in mind, bona fide Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith claimed that Durant would’ve been the King of New York.
“There’s only one Kevin Durant. Lord have mercy! What might have been,” Smith said.
"There's only one Kevin Durant. Lord have mercy! What might have been."
—@stephenasmith on how KD could have changed the Knicks' culture 🏀 🏙️ pic.twitter.com/PRrDILPywf
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 21, 2024
Talking on “First Take,” the renowned pundit stated that there’s a big difference between the Knicks and Nets, adding that the fan base would’ve made him the king of the city if he had chosen the orange and blue.
In the end, things worked out just well for the Knicks, though.
There were some tough times, and the team had to go through a lot to get to the point where they’re now.
Still, chances are Durant would have left just like he left the Nets because the team around him wasn’t that good, and Irving’s vaccine situation would’ve been the same because of NYC’s mandate.
The Nets, on the other hand, definitely would love to have a re-do if they had a chance.
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