Barbara Barker

<sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 Kevin Durant never seriously considered coming to the Knicks. 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 “If I was going to leave the Warriors, it was always going to be for the Nets,” Durant told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports Wednesday. “They got the pieces and a creative front office. I just like what they are building.” 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 Durant, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, signed a four-year deal with 
 <no1>
 the 
 <no>
 Brooklyn 
 <no1>
 Nets 
 <no>
 on July 1. The announcement was a shocker for many since for much of the past year the Knicks were thought to be the most likely landing spot if Durant left Golden State. 
 </no> 
 </no1> 
 </no> 
 </no1> 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 Speaking publicly for the first time since he ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against Toronto, Durant said he didn’t make up his mind that he was leaving the Warriors until June 30. That’s a full 20 days after his injury. 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 Durant was asked why he decided to leave a team that had made three straight Finals appearances and a had a starting five that could rival any in basketball history for a team that lost in the first round of the playoffs. 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 “Because I wanted to,” Durant said. “The basketball was appealing.” 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 Durant, who is joining his good friend Kyrie Irving on the Nets, is expected to miss the 2019-20 season with the Achilles injury. He would not, however, confirm that diagnosis. 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 “I don’t know,” he said. “Just like I didn’t know I was going to get hurt. I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m early in the process. So I’m grinding every day. I’m not even trying to think that far. That’s not going to do me any good. So I just try to focus on what I can control right now, second by second. Who knows? We’ll see.” 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 In the aftermath of the injury, the Warriors were criticized by some for allowing Durant to come back from a Grade 2 right calf strain that he suffered in Golden State’s second-round series against the Houston Rockets. Durant shot down any notion, however, that the team had mishandled his injury. 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 “H 
 <no1>
 ell, no. H 
 <no>
 ow can you blame \[the Warriors\]? 
 <no1>
 Hell, no, 
 <no>
 ” Durant said. “I heard the Warriors pressured me into getting back. Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back . . . Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5. Hell, nah. It just happened. It’s basketball.” 
 </no> 
 </no1> 
 </no> 
 </no1> 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15> 
 <nm1>
 The 2018-19 seasons had been a tumultuous one for the Warriors as it was widely assumed that Durant was going to leave at the end of the season. Durant grew weary of the way the speculation about his future seemed to overshadow the team’s quest for a three-peat. 
 <nm>
 He indicated that there is no bad blood between him and his former Warriors teammates. 
 </nm> 
 </nm1> 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 “Everybody congratulated me when I went to the Nets,” he said. “Everybody wished me well, and they know that I’m still a phone call away. So, I just happen to play in a different jersey now. Nothing else is going to change.” 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
 <sb235,90,120> 
 <cw-15>
 Durant, who has been spending the offseason in Southern California, said he would soon be headed to New York to look for a place to live. Even though it will be awhile before he is back on the court, he is clearly excited to be wearing the same jersey as his good friend Irving and trying to create something special. 
 </cw-15> 
 </sb235,90,120> 
“We didn’t have to play together. It wasn’t necessary,” he said. “But, we were friends before anything, and we just happened to want to hoop together. But it wasn’t a thing we planned. It just came together.” 
In Brooklyn, not Manhattan

Kevin Durant never seriously considered coming to the Knicks. “If I was going to leave the Warriors, it was always going to be for the Nets,” Durant told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports Wednesday. “They got the pieces and a creative front office. I just like what they are building.” Durant, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, signed a four-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets on July 1. The announcement was a shocker for many since for much of the past year the Knicks were thought to be the most likely landing spot if Durant left Golden State. Speaking publicly for the first time since he ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against Toronto, Durant said he didn’t make up his mind that he was leaving the Warriors until June 30. That’s a full 20 days after his injury. Durant was asked why he decided to leave a team that had made three straight Finals appearances and a had a starting five that could rival any in basketball history for a team that lost in the first round of the playoffs. “Because I wanted to,” Durant said. “The basketball was appealing.” Durant, who is joining his good friend Kyrie Irving on the Nets, is expected to miss the 2019-20 season with the Achilles injury. He would not, however, confirm that diagnosis. “I don’t know,” he said. “Just like I didn’t know I was going to get hurt. I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m early in the process. So I’m grinding every day. I’m not even trying to think that far. That’s not going to do me any good. So I just try to focus on what I can control right now, second by second. Who knows? We’ll see.” In the aftermath of the injury, the Warriors were criticized by some for allowing Durant to come back from a Grade 2 right calf strain that he suffered in Golden State’s second-round series against the Houston Rockets. Durant shot down any notion, however, that the team had mishandled his injury. “H ell, no. H ow can you blame \[the Warriors\]? Hell, no, ” Durant said. “I heard the Warriors pressured me into getting back. Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back . . . Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5. Hell, nah. It just happened. It’s basketball.” The 2018-19 seasons had been a tumultuous one for the Warriors as it was widely assumed that Durant was going to leave at the end of the season. Durant grew weary of the way the speculation about his future seemed to overshadow the team’s quest for a three-peat. He indicated that there is no bad blood between him and his former Warriors teammates. “Everybody congratulated me when I went to the Nets,” he said. “Everybody wished me well, and they know that I’m still a phone call away. So, I just happen to play in a different jersey now. Nothing else is going to change.” Durant, who has been spending the offseason in Southern California, said he would soon be headed to New York to look for a place to live. Even though it will be awhile before he is back on the court, he is clearly excited to be wearing the same jersey as his good friend Irving and trying to create something special. “We didn’t have to play together. It wasn’t necessary,” he said. “But, we were friends before anything, and we just happened to want to hoop together. But it wasn’t a thing we planned. It just came together.” In Brooklyn, not Manhattan

Sports

Basketball

Brooklyn Nets

spKD190808

Why Kevin Durant picked the Nets as his only choice in free agency

Newsday

Why the Nets were KD's only choice in free agency

spNETS190710

More Brooklyn Nets

nets article rail

Sports franchises continue to soar in value, sports business experts say.

Sale of Lakers for $12.5 billion is good news for value of Knicks and Nets

The owner of Washington's NBA and NHL teams received a letter from the chair of the House Select Committee on China asking him to cut ties with Alibaba, the Chinese tech giant that has gone to court to dispute the Pentagon's designation of the corporation as a "Chinese military company."

Congressional committee on China asks Wizards and Capitals owner to cut ties with Alibaba

Darryn Peterson couldn't mask his feelings after being taken by Utah with the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft on Tuesday night.

Jazz take Darryn Peterson at No. 2 in effort to close the gap with Thunder, Northwest Division foes

The Brooklyn Nets hope Mikel Brown Jr., their No. 6 overall pick, can change their fortunes.

Nets put faith in Lousville guard Mikel Brown Jr., 2 forward in hopes of flipping franchise

More New York Sports

Sports Article Bottom Module

Thousands of local fans would get up-close looks at the team by attending open training camp practices each summer, the last of which was held on Aug. 20, 2008.

When Hofstra was home to the Jets: Take a trip down memory lane

Brent Headrick owns a 1.49 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 21 holds in 66 1⁄3 innings. He is second in MLB with 67 games pitched. Paul Blackburn has a 1.73 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 73 innings (50 games).

No one could have predicted how good Yanks' Headrick and Blackburn have been . . . not even them

The Yankees' bottom five hitters went a combined 7-for-18 with six runs scored and four RBIs against the Blue Jays.

Lennon: Yankees get huge contribution from lower down in the order

The slumping centerfielder can look to Nolan McLean and Carson Benge for a road map on how to find your way out of a rookie slump.

Albanese: Mets' A.J. Ewing can use blueprint to survive first slump

Nets trending bar

Nets schedule/results

Nets stats

Nets roster

NBA standings

NBA scores

NBA odds

NEWSDAY TV SHORTS

Vertical videos

On Thursday an "accidental electrical fire" damaged several areas of the historic Milleridge Inn's main property.

'Accidental electrical fire' damages Milleridge Inn

Cleaning crews were hard at work after a tornado ripped through the Sun and Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach Thursday evening. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

'It was just a whistling sound that came right through'

Jones Beach Theatre concertgoers were hit by a massive storm Thursday night, causing the show to be delayed. Some attendees thought the concert should have been canceled. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

Wild weather raises concert safety concerns at Jones Beach 

Newsday travel reporter Carissa Kellman learns about renting and driving a skiff boat at Ted's Fishing Station in Point Lookout.

Cruise Long Island's shoreline on your own private boat

Since girls flag football became an official sport in New York high schools in the spring of 2023, participation in the sport has increased nearly 70%, NewsdayTV's Jared Valluzzi reports.

Flag football taking over spring sports

Ken Buffa stopped by La Cucina Paisanos in Farmingville to try their "pull apart soul-bowls," which are bread bowls stuffed with pasta.

Trendy Bites: Get stuffed with these Italian 'soul-bowls'

Mandates could include requiring new systems when old septic tanks fail or when houses are sold. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

Environmentalists want more mandates to replace Suffolk septic systems as program falls behind

NewsdayTV's Doug Geed shows us the dedication it takes to keep bees at the Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead.

Out East: All the buzz at the Hallockville Museum Farm

Newsday travel writer Carissa Kellman visits Onda Bella Cruises for a boat ride from Northport Harbor.

Cruise from Northport Harbor on the Onda Bella

Long-forgotten unpaid traffic infractions in other states are causing a delay in New York State license renewals. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

Outstanding out-of-state tickets holding back NYS license renewals 

App Nativo Ad Unit Slot

Brooklyn Nets - megaslot

Complete coverage of the Brooklyn Nets with the latest news, scores, NBA schedule and analysis.

More Brooklyn Nets

Stay logged in.