Following the injury to Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant earlier this week, a big question mark became how it would impact his free agency outlook. After it was revealed that Durant had ruptured his Achilles and will likely miss the entire 2019-20 season, things got even tougher to gauge. But it appears the interest in KD remains strong, and the same can be said about pairing him with Kyrie Irving.
While Irving opted out of his deal with the Boston Celtics, there’s still a chance he could remain with Brad Stevens’ squad. But the popular belief all along has been that he has interest in either the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets, and both teams were rumored to have eyes for a KD/Irving duo in free agency.
As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported, it seems Durant’s injury hasn’t swayed either team from their likely push to try to sign both stars.
The Nets and Knicks have both hoped to sign Irving and Kevin Durant together into max salary slots. Durant’s free agency has been complicated by a ruptured right Achilles tendon that is expected to keep him out of the entire 2019-20 season. The Knicks and Nets are both still interested in signing Durant and Irving together, league sources said.
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This is big news for both franchises, and it shows their belief that Durant will be able to bounce back from the injury and remain a dominant player. Signing both KD and Irving would require plenty of patience from the two teams, but it’s likely a risk worth taking.
Kevin Durant Reportedly out for 2019-20 Season With Injury
When ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed the news that Durant had ruptured his Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, it was feared that his timeline for return could push until after the 2019-20 season. That was confirmed to be the expected outcome as well, which means if Durant and Irving were to sign with either the Knicks and Nets, it would be Kyrie’s show to run next year.
Obviously, it would be a wise move by either franchise to make this call and not push Durant back on the floor before he’s 100 percent. Going into free agency with this approach and making that plan known with the star forward would also appear to be a good decision.
While it’s known that Durant will not be a part of any team’s immediate plans during at least the early-to-mid stages of the 2019-20 season, it doesn’t seem as though interest in signing him has fallen off. The Knicks and Nets showing continued interest is a key, but the Warriors could also make a push to keep him in town beyond this year as well.
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Nets & Knicks Remain Interested in Kyrie Irving-Kevin Durant Duo [Report]