Kevin Durant On Not Signing With Knicks In 2019: ‘The Team Was Not Cool To Play For’

NBA legend Kevin Durant was an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019 and his agent, aunt and father wanted him to sign with the New York Knicks. 

However, Durant joined the Brooklyn Nets with Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan.

A two-time Finals MVP, Durant said on The Boardroom Cover Story that he didn’t sign with the Knicks because the team “was not cool to play for.”

In interview with @boardroom Rich Kleiman tells Kevin Durant to set the record straight that the agent wanted him to join the Knicks.

“You definitely did,” Durant said. “More than anything.”

Durant said his dad and aunt also wanted the Knicks.

— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) February 20, 2024

Durant also clarified the “Knicks aren’t cool” comment after he signed with the Nets:

“At the time the Knicks weren’t cool, but they are a cool brand. …But the team was not cool to play for. The team wasn’t cool to watch….

— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) February 20, 2024

The Knicks won 17 games in 2018-19. They had the cap space to sign both Durant and Irving in the summer of 2019. However, KD and Uncle Drew chose to join the Nets, who won 42 games in 2018-19. 

Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season recovering from his Achilles tear. The Nets went 35-37 and lost to the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2020 playoffs. 

Meanwhile, the Knicks went 21-45 in 2019-20 and missed the postseason altogether. 

Both the Nets and Knicks made the playoffs in 2021. Brooklyn lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round in seven epic games, while New York lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round in five games. 

The Nets got swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. Meanwhile, the Knicks didn’t make the postseason in 2022. 

Both Durant and Irving requested trades from the Nets in 2022-23. Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns, while Irving was sent to the Dallas Mavericks.

Durant and Irving, two of the best players in NBA history, only played in 74 games together, going 47-27. 

The Knicks had a terrific 2022-23 season. They won 47 games and made it to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2013. New York lost to the Miami Heat in six games.  

Meanwhile, Durant and the Suns lost to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals.

It will be fascinating to see who wins a title next between Durant and the Knicks since so many New York fans pick on KD for not joining their squad in 2019.