The hot rumor for months: Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving teaming up with the Knicks. More recently, chatter emerged about the stars potentially considering the Nets.
Irving definitely appears interested in Brooklyn.
But there hasn’t been much concrete reporting about a Durant-Irving partnership and which teams the pair was actually considering. Durant’s injury and Irving’s agent change have unearthed more intel.
Both New York and Brooklyn made trades to open double-max cap space. The arms race is on.
Which team, if either, will Durant and Irving choose?
The big wrench in the works is Durant’s injury. This was a life-changing event. Even if the teams still want to sign him, there’s no telling how it affects his thinking. It could push him back to the Warriors. It could drive him away.
It could also make Irving think twice about tying his future to someone who has a long recovery ahead. Or it embolden Irving to play with and support a friend.
I don’t know how the players are reacting. I’m not sure the Knicks and Nets do, either.
But it seems the Durant-Irving partnership somewhere in New York was more than just speculation. We’ll see whether it actually comes to fruition.