Kevin Durant has revealed why young NBA players aren’t so inclined to play for the New York Knicks.
“I think a lot of fans look at the Knicks as a brand and expect these younger players who, in their lifetime, don’t remember the Knicks being good. I didn’t grow up with the Knicks,” KD said during an appearance on Ebro in the Morning. “I've seen the Knicks in the finals, but kids coming up after me didn’t see that. That whole brand of the Knicks to them is not as cool as, let’s say, Golden State Warriors or even the Lakers or the Nets now.”
Durant also touched on the rumors that the Knicks were his preference during his final year with the Warriors. However, KD said that's just not true. “I thought about it, it’s a thought,” he said. “But I didn’t really do any deep, full analysis on the Knicks.”
Still, Durant acknowledged that he knew how significant the Knicks narrative was. “You heard it every day. Even the media in the Bay Area was talking about it every day,” he said. “So, it was tough to dodge, but you can’t control it.”
On Tuesday, Durant responded to a Knicks fan who criticized him for signing with the Brooklyn Nets.
Durant signed a four-year, $164 million contract with the Nets in late June, alongside Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan. KD ultimately decided to join the Nets over the Knicks because the latter was “not prepared to offer” a full max contract to Durant due to concerns over his ability to recover from his Achilles injury.
However, there's also a possibility that KD could make a comeback earlier than expected. Depending on the pacing of his rehab, Durant could return to the court before the end of the regular season or during the playoffs. Those close to Durant, including Irving, reportedly feel like the Warriors rushed him back into competition before his calf strain was fully healed, but it's unclear if that caused KD's Achilles injury.
Later in the day, Durant spoke to Peter Rosenberg, who asked him about his toughest losses. Durant said that in 2016, when his Thunder lost to the 73-win Warriors, it was actually the Cavs who were the most talented team in the league that year. Watch below.
