Early in the 2018-19 season, the New York Knicks reportedly had the upper hand in locking in both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. However, somewhere along the decision-making process, the two had a ‘moment of clarity.'

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, KD and Kyrie thought to team up and saw the Knicks as an attractive spot for them. After all, the city of New York presents tons of marketing opportunities. Apart from that, the Knickrbockers have head coach David Fizdale  — often heralded by his peers as an excellent coach in the making.

Nonetheless, as things unfolded, Irving and Durant leaned towards the Brooklyn Nets, which is still in New York.

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“Those two wanted to be a partnership and the Knicks were told they may come at some point,’’ one person familiar with the situation said. “But upon reflection they saw Brooklyn evolve into decency while the Knicks continued meandering. [Coach] Kenny Atkinson is a developmental guy learning as he goes, he’s just ordinary at best with X’s and O’s. So the Knicks had an early lead. But they had a moment of clarity. The Nets were further along and still was the New York market.”

Aside from being still in a big market, the Nets were simply better than the Knicks. The Nets — given their roster of young and scrappy players — finished sixth in the East and qualified for the playoffs. Both Irving and Durant know that their presence alone is not an immediate recipe for success, so they would need a bunch of solid role players who will help them along the way.

The Knicks, meanwhile, were the worst team in the league with a 17-65 record. While they have young stars on their squad, the fact that they let Kristaps Porzingis go was indicative of their poor decision making. Based on these facts, compounded by the rumors surrounding the toxic culture of the Knicks, it became an easy decision for Irving and Durant.