I reported on this a long time ago.
I was told that KD thought if he won rings with Warriors that people would respect him, but instead, they just turned on him more especially when they saw he was sensitive to it.
Now, he is going to try to prove them wrong by going to one of the worse franchises in the NBA.
It’s easier to find street parking in Manhattan than it is to find an NBA executive, player or coach who doesn’t think Durant is going to sign with the Knicks in July.
Some of Durant’s former teammates think it’s going to happen, per ESPN sources. Several of his current teammates have told friends that they think it’s going to happen, sources said. Opposing agents believe it’s a fait accompli: “Just a matter of putting pen to paper,” is how one agent of another top free agent in the 2019 free-agent class put it.
One opposing executive monitoring Durant’s situation closely believes that the opportunity to win in New York — and push the notion that he jumped on the bandwagon to win rings in Oakland from the forefront of fans’ consciousness — is a pull for the two-time Finals MVP.
“Winning there would change the narrative around him,” one executive said.
Multiple executives doing their homework on the free-agent class, though, fully expect Durant to sign with the Knicks and Irving to join him.
During the regular season, some close to Durant suggested to people with a rooting interest in the Knicks that they should remain calm amid New York’s struggles this season. This was seen by those familiar with the conversations as further proof that Durant intends to sign with the Knicks.
And then there’s the oft-cited factor of Durant’s manager, business partner and co-founder of his media company, Rich Kleiman, being a Knicks fan. Kleiman, for what it’s worth, attended several Knicks games at Madison Square Garden when the Warriors weren’t the visiting team.
Never say social media doesn’t have power.
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