Many believe that the New York Knicks are going to dive head first into acquiring free-agent to be Kevin Durant in this summer’s NBA free agency sweepstakes.
Will he come to NYC???
Appearing on the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Bleacher Report columnist, Ric Bucher tells me yes.
Relationships play a big part. Durant is heavily tied to folks within the Knicks organization and his business partner, Rich Kleiman, is a huge Knicks fan and based in New York.
GettyGolden State Warriors teammates Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and DeMarcus Cousins
Check out a snippet from my conversation with Ric Bucher on the Scoop B Radio Podcast below:
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Kevin Durant wouldn’t be a plane ride away, he’d be an Amtrak ride away, going to the Knicks, mainly from Seat Pleasant, Maryland by way of Washington, D.C.. Many people say that the relationships that he has with Royal Ivey, going back to the Texas days, going back to him being Royal Ivey’s child’s godfather and being at Royal Ivey’s wedding this summer, as well as, you know, all those other factors will be a determinant factor for at least the Knicks recruiting him. How much do you see the Knicks being a realistic possibility for Kevin Durant next season?
Ric Bucher: I think they’re a top contender. If he leaves Golden State, I would expect that he goes to New York for a variety of reasons, not some that you mentioned, Scott Perry was right-hand man to Sam Presti on the Oklahoma City Thunder for a long time. He and KD know each other very well. His business manager is from New York and is a huge Knicks fan. The idea that he would love to work for the Knicks and have some role in that, if that could be a consideration, I think all of that has some legitimacy to it. And so, I look at all of that, I look at what the business aspirations are and what New York could afford. And the fact that his business manager, that’s where he’s from and he knows the landscape and that if he goes to, I mean just imagine, he’s been a two-time NBA Finals MVP, he’s won a couple of rings and yet, and I was at the breadth of the Celtics-Warriors game, and I’ve been around that team since he got there. He will never, ever, ever, ever be embraced the way Steph Curry is, or quite honestly, the way Klay Thompson is, or even Draymond Green. No matter what KD does as a player, he will not find the same place at the core of the heart of Warriors fans because he didn’t come up through the tough times there, and for some, they love having him there, but he ain’t their guy cause he’s not an original, and KD, i’m sure, understands that. So imagine, he’s got his ring, he goes to New York, if he takes the Knicks, if he gets the Knicks to the finals, just one, he will be beloved in New York like Patrick Ewing, because Knicks fans are so hungry for a guy who’s capable of doing, I mean, how long has it been, how long have they been hanging, and you know, I’m sure with KD, in KD’s mind, it’s not, “I’m not just going to the Finals, you know, I win a ring” he wins a ring in New York, he goes to New York and he wins one ring, he is, I mean, let’s be honest; isn’t it the closest thing you could find to LeBron going back to Cleveland and winning a ring?
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Kevin Durant Joining New York Knicks is Like LeBron James’ Cavs Return, Says Analyst