Stephen A. Smith Rips Knicks For Kevin Durant Rejection

Smith claims that "pettiness" from Knicks management, stemming from Durant's rejection of Manhattan following his departure from the Golden State Warriors in 2019. Durant instead opted to join the Brooklyn Nets for a futile championship chase that also starred James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

"Unfortunately, [Durant] didn't take into account the pettiness from an owner like James Dolan, who probably remembered that," Smith claimed. "Anybody that has a speck of knowledge about the game of basketball, you can't justify not wanting KD on your squad."

"When it comes to putting the ball in the hole, he is as elite as they come. Without question, one of the all-time greats. Who the hell are you if you're the New York to say you don't want someone like that?"

Stepping away from the Durant sweepstakes is perhaps an attempt by the Knicks to step away from their reputation of acquiring veterans in their twilight, with that list including names like Chauncey Billups, Jason Kidd, Dikembe Mutombo, Metta World Peace, and more.

While it'd be a stretch to say that Durant is past his prime, especially after scoring over 26 points per game at age 36, the Knicks don't appear comfortable with dealing away veteran assets for an aging superstar whose health has been an issue prior to the last two seasons. Durant is fresh off another fruitless attempt at a superteam, as he, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker failed to move the championship needles in the desert.