As rumors of NBA free agency movements rage on, one interesting development on the east coast put a stop on all the speculations as to where Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are headed to. There are conflicting stories that float around at the moment but all the talks seem to point to one destination - New York City.
It has been known that the injured Durant flew to New York for doctors to operate on his ruptured Achilles and likely, subsequent rehabilitation. It appears now that KD's stay in the Big Apple could be extended as Bleacher Report said the All-Star has plans to stick around, and the reasons go beyond his medical needs.
"He's planning on spending the summer and the foreseeable future in New York," the news outlet's Ric Bucher said.
Durant will certainly sit out the whole 2019-20 NBA Season but picking NYC as the place to heal is but a fraction that prompted his decision. Supposedly, he's in the city to meet with Irving and continue on the discussion "about potentially playing together next season."
That reads correctly as the same report indicated that Durant and Irving possibly signing up on the same team is not old news. Fact is, the chance is slim for Irving to join the Golden State Warriors anytime soon so KD is in New York to explore the likelihood of him and the former Cavalier teaming up for the NY Knicks.
Irving shopping around for a new team is understandable since he has already turned down his player option with the Greens, as per the report by MSN. That would mean by end of June, Irving will be a free agent and no doubt unshackled to find a new, better home.
It needs to be told, however, that Irving playing for the Knicks is yet to be written in stone. The New York Post said if there is one team that the All-Star is thrilled to play with it has to be the Brooklyn Nets. And probably the chief reason, Irving is a New Jersey resident and it's sort of a homecoming for him playing for and winning championships with the team.
Now accommodating Irving is not impossible with the Nets. Per the same NYP report, the team can make a room not only for Irving but also for another superstar. And that's implying that Irving can bring with him another big name, and Durant quickly comes to mind, and both of them can enjoy super-max deals.
Irving though co-existing with the Nets' D'Angelo Russell would be stretch so the team's front office will have to make the hard decision of letting go Russell. In the process, the Nets might just have the dynastic tandem of Irving and Durant, which should be a juggernaut force to decimate the competition starting on Season 2020-21.
