Stephen A. Smith has a strong opinion regarding Kevin Durant and a free agency decision he made in 2019.
Kevin Durant remains one of the top scorers in terms of ability that the NBA has to offer. In year 17, he was having an MVP-caliber season before suffering an injury that will now cost him two weeks on the hardwood, temporarily taking him out of the MVP conversation.
However, a move in the 2019 offseason is one that could have changed the trajectory of his career. He left the Golden State Warriors after capturing two NBA championships. He was highly touted, as it was reported he would be teaming up with Kyrie Irving, one of the most skilled point guards the league has seen.
Evidently, the two teamed up on the Brooklyn Nets after it was reported they might join the New York Knicks. They chose the smaller market of the two teams in the Big Apple.
ESPN’s most popular pundit, Stephen A. Smith, had quite a strong take on Durant’s free agency decision. As a known Knicks fan, he, of course, wanted Durant to go turn his favorite team into a contender. However, the ESPN panelist believes Durant could have achieved the same financial gains as LeBron James, had he joined the Knicks over the Nets.
“If you remember, me and Mr. KD got into it a couple of weeks ago, remember how I pointed out — had the brother decided to go to the New York Knicks instead of the Nets, what a big, big business move that would have been. The man is worth close to a billion dollars now. He’d be comparable to LeBron James’ numbers in terms of finance if he had been in a New York Knicks uniform because of the marketability.
Durant has a large business called Boardroom and he’s setting himself up for post-playing days. He does plenty with the company, and he’s got plenty of ventures to expand on his earnings off the court. James being in Los Angeles has certainly benefited his financial earnings, though Durant doesn’t exactly need to be on a franchise like the Knicks to follow suit.
Now a member of the Suns, Durant is in a large market in Phoenix. He’s still a top name in the sport, disregarding playing market. He was in New York while with the Nets, too.
As mentioned, Durant was having an MVP-caliber season before his injury. He had propelled the Suns to an 8-1 record while averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 55% from the floor and 43% on 3-pointers.
To be sidelined for two weeks this early in the season, Durant will have to return to the same form after his injury to work his way back into the conversation.
The Suns will certainly be in contention if their big three of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal can remain healthy this season. Having a new head coach and tweaked roster could be what they need to make a push for a title — which would be a huge boost for the 36-year-old legendary forward.
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