During the 2019 NBA All-Star weekend, rumors have started to circulate about the possibility of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving playing together on the same team. The rumors heated up days before the 2019 NBA free agency started, with the New York Knicks emerging as the top favorite to land both superstars. Durant and Irving did end up as teammates, but instead of signing with the Knicks, they decided to join the other team situated in New York — the Brooklyn Nets.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s decision to team up in Brooklyn has undeniably changed the NBA landscape. With the “Big Three” of Durant, Irving, and DeAndre Jordan, the Nets have succeeded in turning themselves into a legitimate title contender in the Eastern Conference. However, according to Jalen Rose of ESPN , Irving and Durant would have signed with a different team if the latter hadn’t gone down with an Achilles tendon injury in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
In an appearance on ESPN ‘s Jalen & Jacoby , available via YouTube , Jalen Rose said that if Kevin Durant hadn’t suffered a serious injury, he would be the one picking the free agency destination for himself and Kyrie Irving. If he was healthy, per Rose, Durant would have chosen the Knicks over the Nets in the 2019 NBA free agency.
“KD went from being the lead domino and trying to persuade Kyrie Irving which team they should play for to getting injured and having to miss an entire year to Kyrie Irving persuading him what they should play for,” Rose said, as transcribed by NESN .
“You clearly see who won out because one guy is going to be playing this year, another guy has to come back from injury. You need somebody to hold it down while you’re not out there, they’re the best of friends, so it makes sense for them to pair up. That’s what ended up making it be for the Nets instead of the Knicks.”
Nets GM: ‘We have far too much invested’ to rush Kevin Durant back into game action https://t.co/iIxo3oBhtc
— Warriors Wire (@TheWarriorsWire) July 17, 2019
Being snubbed by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the 2019 NBA free agency has undeniably broken the hearts of many Knicks fans. After failing to acquire their top offseason targets, the Knicks ended up using their salary cap space to sign the likes of Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis, Reggie Bullock, Elfrid Payton, Marcus Morris, and Wayne Ellington. The Knicks’ newest acquisitions may have made them a better team compared to the previous season, but it remains a big question mark if they have what it takes to earn a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Luckily, most of those players only signed a one-year contract, giving the Knicks the salary cap flexibility to become major players once again in the 2020 NBA free agency. The likes of Anthony Davis and Draymond Green are expected to be available on the open market at that time.
