Kevin Durant’s Knicks Saga Takes Another Turn

Kevin Durant was always destined to wear a New York Knicks jersey … just not one with his name on the back.

Durant’s rollercoaster saga with the Knicks took another turn during Fanatics Fest at New York City’s Javits Center earlier this month, one where he admitted to owning a special Knicks artifact … one that took on an apparent new meaning after he donned the colors of another borough.

“I had a Patrick Ewing jersey,” Durant said on a panel also featuring NBA veteran Jalen Rose, drawing cheers from what was mostly a pro-Knicks crowd. They quickly turned to boos when he continued “That’s crazy because I ended up growing up hating the Knicks; playing for Brooklyn, end up hating the Knicks.“

Durant has always had a bit of a complicated relationship with Manhattan’s finest: the two have frequently been linked to each other in free agency and trade gossip since his relationship with the Oklahoma City Thunder ended in 2016. After winning a pair of championships and Finals MVP awards with the Golden State Warriors, Durant famously spurned the Knicks to sign with the Brooklyn Nets instead, forming a super team that also featured James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

At the time, Durant referred to the Knicks as the opposite of the “cool thing,” leading to his deal with the Nets.

Injuries and inconsistency, however, ended the Nets’ super era before it could ever truly tip off, and Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns at the 2023 trade deadline. Phoenix, having since added Bradley Beal to work with Durant and incumbent All-Star Devin Booker, has also struggled to live up to such billing, placing sixth in last year’s Western Conference before the Minnesota Timberwolves ousted them in a four-game sweep.

As it stands, Durant is slated to see the Knicks twice this season: New York visits the desert on Nov. 20 while the Suns come to Madison Square Garden on Apr. 6. Of note, new Knick Mikal Bridges was involved in the trade that sent Durant out west, as he was the Nets’ primary yield in the barter before he was shipped to Manhattan earlier this summer.

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