Remember when Kevin Durant was bound for the New York Knicks?
It was in early February, when the Knicks parted ways with Kristaps Porzingis, their long-awaited and ever-rare homegrown star, in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks that created enough cap space for them to sign two a pair of max-level free agents in free agency. With rumors of Durant's interest in joining New York gaining steam, owner James Dolan threw fuel on the fire, going on local radio and expressing utmost, unabashed confidence in his team's ability to land a pair of superstars.
Eight months later, Durant plays for the crosstown Brooklyn Nets, bringing Kyrie Irving – the other player long-rumored to be joining the Knicks this summer – along with him. In an interview with Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, his first since tearing his Achilles tendon and signing with the Nets, the two-time Finals MVP clarified that if he was going to leave the Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn was always his only option.
“If I was leaving the Warriors, it was always going to be for the Nets,” Durant said. “They got the pieces and a creative front office. I just like what they were building.”
Contrary to reports leading up to the opening day of free agency, though, the 31-year insists he didn't make a decision on his playing future until hours before it was announced.
“June 30. That morning,” Durant told Yahoo when asked when he decided to sign with Brooklyn. “I never wanted to disrespect the game by putting my focus on the future. It was always about that day, focusing on that day and what was most important that day. And throughout the season, basketball is the No. 1 thing.”
Durant was named Second Team All-NBA after another typically dominant regular season. He was playing arguably the best basketball of his career when he went down with a calf injury in the second round of the playoffs, only to return in Game 5 of the NBA Finals and tear his Achilles tendon. The Nets nor Durant have offered any concrete timeline on his potential return to the floor.
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