Landscape senior NBA reporter Marc Spears believes Kevin Durant’s career would have benefited immensely if he had joined the Knicks instead of the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 free agency.
“I think KD should have gone there. I think it would have done wonders for him and his career and the spotlight in New York, but that weight of 50 years and not winning a championship facing back pages and all that, I think it scared New York away from getting that marquee, That’s a top 15 jersey seller and perennial All-Star kind of guy,” Spears said on the July 27 edition of NBA Today on ESPN.
Teaming up with Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn instead of trying to end the Knicks’ championship drought was a no-brainer at the time. But ultimately, Durant failed to make it big in Brooklyn as their Big 3 of Irving and James Harden failed big time.
Durant won just one playoff streak during his time with the Nets, which the Knicks doubled last season, led by Jalen Brunson and two-time All-Star forward Julius Randle, whom the Knicks settled with after that Durant went to Brooklyn.