By now, all the talk of Kevin Durant's impending free agency is getting on everyone's nerves, including his.
With the Warriors in the thick of a first-round playoff battle with the Los Angeles Clippers, the talk surrounding Durant continues to center on his future with the two-time defending NBA champions.
Durant can opt out of his contract at the end of the season, a decision everyone expects him to make. Should the two-time NBA Finals MVP choose to leave the Bay Area, most expect him to pack his bags for the Big Apple and join the New York Knicks, with the Clippers being viewed as a distant second choice.
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While Durant has said many times that he hasn't made up his mind about what his future holds, a new report from ESPN's Ian Begley suggests Durant and the Knicks are all but a done deal, and several of his teammates reportedly believe Durant is headed to New York.
If that is the case, and Durant does leave the Warriors after two -- or perhaps three -- titles, the biggest remaining question will be: Why?
Why would Durant leave one of the NBA's greatest dynasties for the dysfunction and disarray of the Knicks?
Well, one executive told Begley the reason for the likely move to Madison Square Garden is quite simple.
Golden State Warriors
"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," Begley wrote.
It's all about how he is viewed in the public eye.
"Winning there would change the narrative around him," one executive told Begley.
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Ever since Durant joined the Warriors in the summer of 2016, he's been chastised by the public and media at large for chasing rings. Despite being voted Finals MVP for both of the Warriors' title runs since he came aboard, Durant has not received the validation that he deserves and clearly wants.
Perhaps he can get that in New York. Or perhaps he'll get it if the Warriors run through the Western Conference en route to a third consecutive NBA title.