Kevin Durant to join Brooklyn Nets in free agency

Kevin Durant shook the NBA in the opening moments of free agency Sunday night, announcing his decision to leave the Golden State Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets on Instagram to the beat of a track from the Brooklyn rapper Notorious BIG.

>>Scott Cacciola and Marc SteinThe New York Times
Published : 1 July 2019, 07:21 AM
Updated : 1 July 2019, 09:52 PM

For the Nets, who also struck a deal Sunday with Kyrie Irving, it was the splashiest combination of moves they could have made after spending years digging out from the depths of ill-advised personnel moves and searching for a slice of the spotlight in a city long dominated by the New York Knicks. For Durant, 30, it will be a fresh start with a new team — a budding relationship that will require patience from both sides.

Durant, a 10-time All-Star, will likely miss the 2019-2020 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the NBA Finals three weeks ago. Achilles injuries are often debilitating for elite athletes, and there is no guarantee that Durant will make a full recovery. But he is a unique talent — perhaps the most versatile scorer on the planet — and the Nets are betting big.

The Nets had to beat out a deep field for Durant, who also strongly considered a pitch from the Los Angeles Clippers in addition to the Warriors’ attempts to re-sign him and the Knicks’ own interest. The Warriors were offering a five-year maximum contract valued at $221 million — the richest security Durant could have found in the wake of perhaps the most dreaded injury a basketball player could sustain — but he opted for a new challenge with the Nets.

As The New York Times reported, Nets officials had been aggressively pursuing deals with Durant and the veteran center DeAndre Jordan, one of Durant’s closest friends, in addition to their long-planned quest to sign Irving. The Nets had verbal commitments from all three players by night’s end Sunday, resulting in a dramatic turnaround just six years after the club had squandered three future first-round draft picks to Boston in a crippling and shortsighted trade in 2013 to acquire the veterans Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Boston Celtics.

Jun 10, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) dribbles in front of Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the second quarter in game five of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena. Reuters

At the same time, it was a devastating start to free agency for the Knicks, who had figured to be in the running for Durant and Irving. After all, they had traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks in January in large part to create the type of financial flexibility they would need to sign a pair of superstars like Durant and Irving. James L. Dolan, the team’s owner, had vowed during a radio appearance in March that the Knicks were going to have a “very successful offseason when it comes to free agents.”

By Sunday, though, it was looking like more of the same for the Knicks: false hope and searing disappointment. Kemba Walker, another premier free agent, appeared to be closing in on a deal with the Celtics. The Knicks, meanwhile, had money to spend. Some of it will go to Julius Randle, a 24-year-old power forward who spent last season with the New Orleans Pelicans. He agreed to a three-year deal worth $63 million, according to one person familiar with the details.

The Knicks are coming off a 17-65 season, finishing with the worst record in the league. They have some promising young players, including R.J. Barrett, whom the Knicks made the third overall pick in the draft on June 20, but they are eons from contending for anything, including a playoff berth.

Durant, the league’s Most Valuable Player with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014, was considered one of the best — if not the best — players in the NBA before he suffered his injury against the Toronto Raptors on June 10. He underwent surgery on June 12.

His departure from Golden State marks the end of an era. And although the Warriors will be keeping much of their core intact — Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, who appeared set to sign new deals with the team — there is some uncertainty for the franchise moving forward. Thompson could miss the 2019-20 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the NBA Finals, and the Warriors were highly dependent on Durant, especially during their long postseason runs.

Durant joined the Warriors as a free agent in 2016 after nine seasons with the Thunder (including one season when the organisation was still based in Seattle). The Warriors had already won a championship without Durant, and his decision to join a ready-made contender was met with a great deal of scrutiny — which persisted even as Durant excelled.

He was the NBA Finals’ most valuable player in 2017 and 2018, as the Warriors won back-to-back championships. But the criticism of his decision to jump to Golden State irritated him. He clashed with Russell Westbrook, his former teammate on the Thunder, and he would also occasionally respond to various barbs on social media, cultivating a reputation — fair or not — as one of the league’s most sensitive stars. But through it all, his extraordinary level of play never waned.

Last season, Durant averaged 26 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game while shooting 52.1% from the field. Still, the Warriors had a roller-coaster season, clouded in part by Durant’s looming free agency. The weight of that decision manifested itself in November when Durant and Green squabbled during a game against the Clippers. Green questioned Durant’s loyalty to the organisation. Durant pushed back. The Warriors, recognising Durant’s value, sought to mitigate the damage by suspending Green for a game.

Durant and Green eventually appeared to repair their relationship, and Durant again seemed primed to help carry the Warriors through the playoffs. But he strained his right calf in a game against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals, and then missed 32 days before returning for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He proceeded to rupture his right Achilles tendon in the second quarter.

Bob Myers, the team’s president of basketball operations, told reporters after the game that clearing Durant to play had been a collaborative decision, but the organisation was heavily criticised in the wake of the injury.

On Sunday, Durant decided to move on.

© 2019 New York Times News Service