New York Knicks fans weren't especially happy that their team's free-agency class was headlined by Julius Randle and Bobby Portis and not All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, both of whom signed with their crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets.

Portis, however, reportedly knew all the way back in February that the two NBA champions planned on teaming up in the New York City outerborough.

Per Mike Vorkunov in The Athletic:

“I knew what was gonna happen in February,” he said. “We all knew that (Durant and Kyrie Irving would go to Brooklyn). Everybody knew that. I just don’t think the media knew that. Us basketball players, we all knew that.”

The Knicks signed Portis, who can play both the power forward and center positions, to a two-year contract worth $31 million shortly after the market opened on Sunday, June 30. The second year of his contract contains a team option.

New York also signed up-and-coming big man Julius Randle, point guard Elfrid Payton, and veterans Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington, and Reggie Bullock. It's not quite the Nets' free-agent acquisitions in Durant, Irving, and one-time All-Star center DeAndre Jordan, who last played for the Knicks following the Kristaps Porzingis trade in January.

Both New York's front office and fans alike were expecting the Knicks to be in on top free agents like Durant, Irving, and even Kawhi Leonard, who signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, especially after the Porzingis trade. That deal produced an immense amount of cap space that could have been used to sign two max free agents.

Portis added that he wasn't going to “leak” his source, but he's confident he knew nearly six months ago the bombshell news of Durant and Irving joining forces in Brooklyn.