There had been experiences Kevin Durant critically thought of becoming a member of the Knicks in 2019 when he finally teamed up with Kyrie Irving and went to Brooklyn. The Knicks thought so earlier than he tore his Achilles. Durant mentioned New York followers/media bothered him all yr and he by no means deliberate on going to New York.

Kemba Walker makes it sound like he did. From his introductory press convention with the Knicks, by way of Marc Berman of the New York Publish.

Right here’s what we all know for positive: Kemba Walker wished to group with Durant on the Knicks, and the Knicks wished it plus that they had the cap area to drag it off.

We additionally know Durant didn’t need that, based mostly on each his actions and his phrases. Whether or not he critically thought of it or not solely he really is aware of, and it’s moot anyway. He made his alternative and it wasn’t the Knicks. Walker ended up in Boston.

That was 2019. In 2021, Durant and the Nets — with Irving, James Harden, and a forged of high quality function gamers — head into the season as title favorites, based on our companions at Factors Wager. They’re the group to beat.

In 2021, the Knicks are coming off a season the place they made a leap underneath new GM Leon Rose and new coach Tom Thibodeau — the subsequent time a big-name free agent comes up for a commerce (let’s say, hypothetically, Damian Lillard), the Knicks are able to pounce. They’ve turn into a viable vacation spot once more for superstars, which was not all the time the case previously decade. There’s motive for a real optimism across the Knicks proper now.

That was not the case in 2019.

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Kemba Walker mentioned it was “fairly shut” he, Durant got here to Knicks in 2019 initially appeared on NBCSports.com