Kevin Durant Rumors | Hoops Rumors

New York Notes: Durant, Irving, Harden, Burks, Fournier

October 9th, 2021 at 9:29am CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Durant‘s latest comments on Kyrie Irving sounded like a plea for the Nets All-Star point guard to get vaccinated and rejoin the team for the entire season, as Nets Videos relays (Twitter link).

“We want him here for the whole thing,” Durant said. “We want him here for games, home games, practices, away games, shootarounds all of it. Hopefully, we can figure this thing out.”

The latest development on the Irving saga came Friday, when the team was informed that he could practice with the team but not play in home games.

We have more from the New York City teams:

Nets guard James Harden struggled in his preseason debut on Friday against Milwaukee, scoring eight points and committing four turnovers. Harden said it was an odd experience after missing playoff games and spending most of the offseason recovering from a hamstring strain, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “Practice is different obviously, but just being on the court and having to move felt weird. But I’ll get adjusted to it,” he said.
Alec Burks‘ ability to make an immediate impact on a game is a luxury for Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. “We were in desperate need of shooting, so he provided shot-making, playmaking,” Thibodeau said. “He can go off the dribble, can play three positions, and he can function as a starter or a guy off the bench. As soon as you put him in the game, he’s ready to go.” Burks re-signed with the Knicks in August on a three-year, $30MM pact.
Knicks wing Evan Fournier was added mainly to bring some offensive punch but he vows to not be a defensive liability, Botte relays in a separate story. “I consider myself a guy that competes really hard, so I’m not concerned about the defense at all,” he said. “Even as a unit, we’re going to be good defensively.” Fournier was acquired in a sign-and-trade from Boston on a four-year deal worth up to $78MM.

Atlantic Notes: Durant, Irving, Quickley, Stevens, Joe

October 6th, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets All-Star forward Kevin Durant is trying to stay optimistic as the Kyrie Irving situation drags on, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. Irving can’t practice at the team’s facility and will have to miss more than half of its games unless he changes his mind and gets vaccinated. Durant believes Irving will eventually rejoin his teammates.

“I’m envisioning Kyrie being a part of our team,” Durant said. “Maybe I’m just naïve, but that is just how I feel. But I think everybody here has that confidence in themselves, in our group, that if we keep building, we can do something special.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks have a crowded backcourt but second-year guard Immanuel Quickley remains part of the team’s plans. Coach Tom Thibodeau believes he can play Quickley in a number of different guard combinations, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. “The great value with (Quickley) is that he plays with Derrick (Rose) and Alec (Burks), and so really the point (guard) is interchangeable with those guys. They move the ball and they make plays for each other real well,” Thibodeau said. “So, oftentimes, Quickley will bring it up. Derrick will bring it up. Alec could bring it up or we’ll get into dribble-handoffs. … We’re gonna fly around.”
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens doesn’t miss the daily grind of being the head coach, he told A. Sherrod Blakely of Full Court Press. “I haven’t had to worry about practice plan, game plan, none of that,” said Stevens. “I’ve enjoyed watching Ime (Udoka) put the team together and figure out how he wants to play, who compliments who, and all those things that go into that.”
Sixers second-year guard Isaiah Joe is angling for playing time and he’s gotten off to a good start in the preseason, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. He had 18 points — including four 3-pointers — three rebounds and three steals against the Raptors. “We’ve got to get him on the floor more is what I keep telling our coaches,” coach Doc Rivers said, “because those 10 guys [in the rotation] are playing so much. … I told [Joe], I don’t care what unit you’re on, just keep going back and forth.”

New York Notes: Harden, Durant, Irving, Gibson

October 1st, 2021 at 6:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets owner Joe Tsai is hopeful that James Harden will finish his career in Brooklyn, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Harden has yet to sign an extension but Tsai believes Harden is in it for the long-term. “The way I look at it is he’s already said I want to play and finish my career in Brooklyn: He’s actually said that. And our job is to make sure that he continues to feel that way,” Tsai said. “Obviously, if we win a championship and also have the chance to win multiple championships down the road, that’s going to be even more convincing, more compelling.“

We have more from the New York City teams:

Nets perennial All-Star forward Kevin Durant, who has already signed a four-year extension, says he’s still evolving as a player and is focused on being as good as ever, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. “I really feel like I have been growing every single day and I am starting to understand the game a little bit more,” Durant said. “I kind of simplified it for myself. I try not to chase anything outside of just being the best that I can be on the floor … Yeah, it’s made me at ease a little bit.”
While Tsai respects Kyrie Irving‘s feelings regarding his reluctance to be vaccinated, he wants to remind his star point guard about the team’s ultimate aim, Lewis writes. “What is our goal this year? What’s our purpose this year? It’s very, very clear: Win a championship. And the championship team needs to have everybody pulling the same direction,” Tsai said. “So, I hope to see Kyrie play fully and win a championship together with everybody else, with all his teammates. That’s the best outcome for everybody.”
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is very happy Taj Gibson re-signed with the team on a two-year, $10.1MM deal, as Mark Sanchez of the New York Post notes. “Whether he’s [in or] not in the rotation, he’s practicing hard, helping his teammates, helping the team any way he can,” Thibodeau said. “If you have to play him off the bench, he can handle that. If you want to plug him in as a starter, he can handle that. He’s played two positions his entire career. He’s invaluable to us.”

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Walker, Bacon, Offseason

August 24th, 2021 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are open to signing Mitchell Robinson to a contract extension before the 2021/22 season begins, “as long as it’s not crazy,” a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. Robinson, who is one of the Knicks’ longest-tenured players, is entering a contract year and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 if he doesn’t sign a new deal before then.

As Berman notes, there are reasons both sides may want to wait on an extension. Robinson is coming off a season in which he suffered a broken hand and broken foot, so the Knicks might want to see him at full health again before making a major investment. The team’s multiyear commitment to Nerlens Noel in free agency also reduces the urgency to lock up Robinson.

Robinson, meanwhile, could significantly boost his stock in the coming months if he shows he’s back to 100% health and continues to improve on both ends of the court. For now, Berman says, league insiders consider the big man’s value to be around the mid-level or slightly higher. Berman suggests $44MM over four years could be a fair price for both sides.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

During his introductory press conference last week, Kemba Walker said he came “pretty close” to signing with the Knicks as a free agent in 2019 before heading to Boston instead. A source tells Berman that Walker had been interested in teaming up with Kevin Durant for the Knicks, but Durant – of course – chose to go to Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving instead. Berman says the Knicks and Walker decided at that point that a union wouldn’t make sense without another star on board.
According to Berman, multiple sources believe the Knicks decided to add Dwayne Bacon to their roster due to a recommendation from his former coach Steve Clifford, who is close with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. However, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv noted last week (via Twitter), Bacon is on an Exhibit 10 contract, so he’s no lock to make the regular season roster.
In his ranking of all 30 teams’ offseason moves, David Aldridge of The Athletic places the Knicks at No. 13, praising the team’s signing of Walker but arguing that losing Reggie Bullock will hurt.

Pacific Notes: Kerr, Buss, Clippers, Durant, Green

August 21st, 2021 at 2:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The mantra for the Warriors this coming season appears to be “balance,” writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. According to Johnson, the way the team has re-balanced through its veteran signings and draft class is one of the main things that excites head coach Steve Kerr coming into the season.

“I think this year’s team will offer a much better mix of mentors and veterans to go along with those young guys,” Kerr said on the latest episode of Dubs Talk podcast. “… It’s real exciting to think of the structure of the team and the balance and what we can accomplish.”

After two straight years of missing the playoffs, Kerr says he feels the team is back to a level where it can compete every night, especially once star Klay Thompson returns from his two-year hiatus due to ACL and Achilles injuries.

“It’s really hard to gauge where we are against the rest of the Western Conference,” Kerr said. “Obviously there’s a lot of great teams. We haven’t even had a practice to put the group together. But I’m very excited about the potential.”

We have more news from around the Pacific Division:

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss recently sat down with Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic. In the interview, she describes why the legacy of her father’s Showtime Lakers impels her to build not just a great basketball team, but a stylish one. She talks about why she doesn’t like the play-in tournament, why Kobe Bryant‘s 20-year run with a single team is unlikely to be repeated, and says “our fans are going to be just cuckoo for (Russell Westbrook), are going to be so happy that he’s here.“
The Clippers may not have shaken up their roster in a major way, but Summer League provided some reasons for excitement, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. No. 51 pick Brandon Boston outperformed expectations, knocking down shots and creating off the dribble, No. 33 pick Jason Preston overcame a rough start to show his ability to orchestrate the offense and get into the paint, while hyper-athletic wings Jay Scrubb and Keon Johnson both showcased why they’re intriguing talents while also laying bare the flaws that could keep them off the floor early on.
In a much-discussed interview with Bleacher Report, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green explored the last year of their time together with the Warriors, as well as their infamous blow-up in November of 2018. As Nick Friedell of ESPN explores, Durant and Green blamed head coach Steve Kerr and president of basketball operations Bob Myers for mishandling the response to that dust-up. “Y’all are about to f— this up,” Green said he told the Warriors front office. “I said, ‘The only person that can make this right is me and (Durant). And there is nothing that y’all can do, and y’all are going to f— this up.’ And in my opinion, they f—ed it up.” In response, Durant said, “I think so too.”

Draymond Green, Kevin Durant Discuss Experience As Warriors Teammates

August 18th, 2021 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tensions between Draymond Green and Kevin Durant were one of the subplots of Durant’s final season with the Warriors, and Bleacher Report’s “Chips” is giving viewers a chance to hear them discuss that situation, writes Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Green and Durant had a public confrontation early in that season as Golden State was aiming for its third consecutive title. Green had accused Durant of looking ahead to his next destination in free agency, which he brings up in their “Chips” exchange.

“In my mind, after Year 2, you were over it,” Green tells Durant. “You were onto the next thing, but we had the opportunity to three-peat. And in my mind, what brought you back in year three was just the opportunity to three-peat, but it didn’t feel right for you no more.”

Durant admits there was a perception in his final year that he didn’t enjoy being part of the Warriors. He explains that he was “happy-go-lucky” during his time with the Thunder, but his approach changed when he came to Golden State and saw a clear path to winning titles.

“I knew exactly what my role was and I locked on it with so much focus and determination to not f–k around every day,” Durant said. “And you’ve seen it. From workouts to practices, shootaround, film, and it made people outside look at me like, ‘Hold on, is he enjoying this?’ When I dive into something like that, with that level of focus, I don’t want to be anywhere else in life. That’s the most enjoyable experience I ever had after that first one.

“I played every game, I went hard every day, I cared about every matchup no matter who was on the floor, just my look didn’t feel as open or energetic as before. But I like that. I like that I was closed off and focused on my work.”

Durant and Green have patched up their differences to the point where they can discuss the past without getting heated. They also reunited as teammates to win a gold medal during this year’s Olympics.

Durant said his main regret is not being open enough about his situation as the free agency rumors intensified. Outsiders may believe his time with the Warriors ended bitterly, but he says he enjoyed being part of an organization that was able to compete for a title every year.

“I maybe should have communicated that better to the people who were interested in knowing what I was going through,” Durant said. “But I had the most fun locking in and completing the task because I knew we were going to lock in every night, and it’s rare to get to that point as an NBA player. I just tried to focus in and stay in the moment more than anything.”

New York Notes: Knight, Durant, Vildoza, Walker

August 8th, 2021 at 10:07am CST by Arthur Hill

Former lottery pick Brandon Knight is trying to work his way back into the NBA with the Nets‘ Summer League team, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Knight’s career was derailed by knee injuries, and he hasn’t played in the NBA since splitting 25 games with the Cavaliers and Pistons in 2019/20.

Knight worked out for the Bucks in March, but Milwaukee decided against signing him. The 29-year-old says his knees are no longer an issue and he’s eager to show that he still has an NBA future.

“The narrative of my knees, that I’m not healthy, that’s not right,” Knight said. “So for me, the narrative is just to show that I’m healthy. I’m ready to play. And I’m here. Most importantly, I’m here to serve these young guys. Summer league is not about me. … My goal is to serve to serve these young guys, give them wisdom, and try to help them and be a servant in any place that I can be.”

There’s more from New York:

Nets star Kevin Durant was named MVP of the Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament, FIBA announced in a press release. He capped off a brilliant performance with 29 points in the gold medal game against France. Australia’s Patty Mills, who agreed to a two-year deal with Brooklyn in free agency, was named to the all-tournament team.
The Knicks will get their first look at Luca Vildoza when Summer League play starts today, notes Marc Berman of The New York Post. The Argentinian point guard signed a four-year, non-guaranteed contract in May, but he wasn’t used in any games. Vildoza’s future with New York seems less certain after the team drafted point guards Miles McBride and Rokas Jokubaitis, Berman adds. “I’m trying to work hard. I’m trying to show myself,” said Vildoza, who just returned from the Olympics. “I just want to show who I am. If after that, I can’t get onto the team, that’s OK. At least I gave everything.’’
The Knicks‘ offseason appears successful, but there are some risks involved, states Steve Popper of Newsday. The most significant one involves whether Kemba Walker‘s knee can hold up for an entire season.

Kevin Durant Gets Four-Year Extension From Nets

August 8th, 2021 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

AUGUST 8: Durant’s extension is official, the Nets announced.

“We know who he is. Kevin Durant will establish his legacy in Brooklyn as one of the greatest ever,” owner Joe Tsai said. “On behalf of the Nets organization, my family and our fans, we are excited and humbled to see a lot of Kevin for years to come.”

“Kevin is a transcendent talent who continues to drive and push this franchise and the game of basketball globally,” added general manager Sean Marks. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with him for years to come. Kevin’s impact both on and off the court cannot be overstated. His unparalleled drive and leadership generate sustained excellence from himself while also elevating the performance of his teammates, positioning this organization to continue the pursuit of our championship goals in Brooklyn.”

AUGUST 6: The Nets and Kevin Durant are in agreement on a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension that will go into effect during the 2022/23 season, according to Shlomo Sprung of The Boardroom. Durant’s manager Rich Kleiman confirmed the deal, which will replace the star forward’s ’22/23 player option.

Durant will be eligible for a 5% raise on his 2021/22 salary of $42MM, so his new deal will start at about $44.1MM in ’22/23. That figure exceeds the default maximum salary for a player with 10+ years of experience, but a player’s individual maximum salary on a new contract is always at least 105% of his previous salary.

In total, Durant’s new extension will be worth $197.7MM over four years and will cover his age 34-37 seasons.

Durant, who signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Nets in 2019, missed his entire first season in Brooklyn while recovering from an Achilles tear and was limited to just 35 regular season games in 2020/21. However, he looked like his old self in those games, averaging 26.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 1.3 BPG on a scorching .537/.450/.882 shooting line.

In 12 postseason games, Durant put up 34.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 1.6 BPG on .514/.402/.871 shooting, but he couldn’t quite lead the Nets past the eventual-champion Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, despite a 48-point performance in a Game 7 overtime loss.

All three Brooklyn stars are eligible for contract extensions this offseason. Now that they have a deal in place for Durant, the Nets figure to shift their focus to trying to lock up James Harden and Kyrie Irving as well.

Eastern Notes: Pacers, Knicks, Madar, Nets, Wizards

August 4th, 2021 at 8:14am CST by Luke Adams

While it’s not out of the question that the Pacers will make a major trade this offseason, the team isn’t any rush to move Myles Turner or Malcolm Brogdon, the two names that pop up most frequently in Pacers-related trade rumors, writes J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star.

Of those two players, Turner is less likely to be dealt, according to Michael, who suggests that new head coach Rick Carlisle would like to try to figure out the best way to maximize the Turner/Domantas Sabonis duo. It’s possible Carlisle will split up the two Pacers bigs and have Turner come off the bench to start the season, Michael adds.

As for Brogdon, the Pacers have been trying to determine whether he’s the right long-term fit as the team’s point guard and leader, according to Michael. As Michael details, Indiana had some locker room issues in 2020/21 and president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard suggested at the end of the season that the club lacked vocal leadership. The Pacers may expect more in that regard from Brogdon going forward.

Here’s more from around the East:

The Knicks, who remain on the lookout for another point guard, have some interest in Dennis Schröder, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman also says New York contacted Elfrid Payton at the start of free agency, though it’s unclear if the club views him as a viable fallback option.
Yam Madar, the 47th overall pick in the 2020 draft, hopes to play for the Celtics this season, he told reporters on Tuesday. As Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets, Boston’s plan is to see how Madar’s Summer League stint goes and to evaluate its options from there.
Nets star Kevin Durant is thrilled that Blake Griffin is set to return to the team for another season, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “To have Blake back, I’m so excited,” Durant said from Tokyo. “I mean, as soon as the season was over, I was telling him that we want him back and telling him that, you know, we should try to do it again. And I was glad to see it get done.” In a separate story, Lewis confirms that James Johnson‘s new deal with Brooklyn is worth the veteran’s minimum.
After recently announcing a new deal for NHL star Alex Ovechkin, the centerpiece of his other franchise, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis discussed the contrast between how things played out with Ovechkin and Russell Westbrook, per Emily Kaplan of ESPN. “We had a superstar player with the Wizards, he had an opportunity and wanted to be traded to the Lakers,” Leonsis said. “And I was dealing with that as we were announcing Alex. I couldn’t help but self-reflect on what a difference it is. Here’s a great player in Russell Westbrook, played in OKC, wanted to be traded, went to Houston, wanted to be traded, came to D.C., wanted to be traded and is now in L.A. He’s an unbelievably great person and an unbelievably great player. But that’s the difference between the NBA and the NHL, I suppose.”

Olympic Notes: Tatum, Durant, Holiday, P. Gasol

August 1st, 2021 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Team USA has one Olympic loss already and now that the medal round is here, another defeat would end its gold medal hopes. The Americans will face Spain in the quarterfinals and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum could be the key to advancing, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Spain captured the FIBA World Cup in 2019, but Tatum played in just two games after being injured early in the tournament. He’s fully healthy now and has gotten over a slow start in the Olympics, scoring 27 points in Saturday’s rout of the Czech Republic.

“Our confidence never wavered,” said Tatum, whose team lost a pair of exhibition games in Las Vegas, then dropped its Olympic opener against France. “We understood that it wasn’t gonna be easy. We didn’t have our full team until four days ago, five days ago, so we knew that we had a lot of challenges ahead of us. And we also know that we would continue to get better every day. We would get better from each game, each practice, just the more time that we spent together, we were never going to be the same team, from day one, that we are now. And hopefully, we’re better this time next week than we were today.”

There’s more from Tokyo:

Kevin Durant reached a milestone Saturday, passing Carmelo Anthony as Team USA’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic competition, Vardon adds in a separate story. Durant, who is seeking his third gold medal, now has 354 total points. “It is special to do something like that,” he said. “Scoring is something I worked on my whole career and something I’ve expanded my whole career, and being able to consistently do it is pretty cool.”
The U.S. didn’t have a pure point guard until Jrue Holiday joined the team, says Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune. Holiday was busy with the playoffs during training camp and exhibition play and didn’t leave for Japan until after the Bucks’ championship parade. “His entry onto the team, late as it was, has had an immediate effect, because he garners so much respect from his teammates,” coach Gregg Popovich said.
After undergoing surgery for a stress fracture in his left foot, Pau Gasol was determined not to let it end his career, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The 41-year-old has battled back and is playing an important role for Spain. “I love the game,” Gasol said. “I wanted to finish my career playing. I had such an incredible, extraordinary career that I didn’t want the injury to finish it for me.”