Nevius: Kevin Durant's pending free agency on the minds of many

One of the buzziest stories in the NBA blogosphere isn’t about the start of the season. Or predictions for the playoffs.

No, the focus is on after the season, when we will learn if Kevin Durant will leave the Warriors.

He might, you know. He’s a free agent.

And that’s no accident. He made a point to sign a one-year, $30 million contract last year to keep that option open. The idea that Durant will leave has been widely - and breathlessly - reported in multiple media outlets.

Call me a cynic, but my guess is the rumors were floated by Camp Durant to gin up interest and branding. The big guy certainly isn’t doing much to quell speculation. He’s oh-so-casual about it all.

“Some days I think about free agency. Some days I don’t,” Durant mused recently.

Granted, the decision is months away. But if we’re going to be spectators to this melodrama for the entire season, I have a suggestion. If Durant tells the Warriors he is moving on, they should respond with one word.

“OK.”

It isn’t that Durant wouldn’t be missed. After concerns that the four-time scoring champ would be a ball-dominant gunner, he won everyone over. He’s proved to be a transcendent talent - passing, scoring and defending. He’s been clutch at crunch time. By all accounts he’s been a great teammate; not aloof as feared.

And make no mistake, these back-to-back championships with Durant take their place in NBA history. Sure, the Warriors were trolling the Cavs with broom bristles on their rings, but c’mon, they swept what is supposed to be the second-best team in professional basketball in four. That’s impressive.

But the idea that if Durant leaves, the team collapses is an overreach. It is worth noting that players have been voluntarily lining up to play for the Warriors for years. David West famously took a pay cut for the chance for a ring. There are others who would make that choice.

There are other factors. Steph Curry, the face of the franchise, is a good guy. Ownership and management are solid and solvent.

Throw in a new, state-of-the-world arena and a chance for another ring, and you’ve got a tidy package for a marquee free agent to consider.

We can shoot the moon with long shot thoughts like Anthony Davis (free agent in 2020 and former teammate of Warrior DeMarcus Cousins), but there are others, like Marc Gasol and Jimmy Butler. You could even throw in enigmatic Kawhi Leonard or Kyrie Irving. Hey, they’ll be available. And they are rumored to be part of the don’t-want-to-play-with-LeBron-James club.

Now, would they be as talented as Kevin Durant? Maybe not quite.

But, as I’m sure Durant is sick and tired of hearing, the Warriors won the championship in 2015 and 73 games in 2016 before he joined the team. It’s not like Durant turned things around.

Which, it is surmised online, sticks in Durant’s craw. He wants to be The Guy at Golden State.

But he’s not. Curry is. So his Guy-ness is unfulfilled.

Ergo, in a move that apparently makes sense on the East Coast, Durant has been projected to go to the New York Knicks.

And we’d like to wish him the very best of luck with that.

The Knicks are a long-standing train wreck. Steve Kerr turned down that job to coach the Warriors.

Current Knicks owner James Dolan is wildly unpopular, has a history of confrontations and has New Yorkers begging him to sell the team. The fans are absolutely brutal. And the media - and I say this with great affection - are meat grinders.

You’d definitely be The Guy there. Every loss will be your loss. Every mope with a laptop will have an opinion.

So, are you the kind of guy who sometimes seems a little too sensitive? Someone who gets triggered by random comments on social media? Who can only take so much from rude fans before blowing up?

(Sound of boxes being checked.)

Maybe New York wouldn’t be the best place for you.

Again, it is his call. As has been noted, Durant’s business manager, Rich Kleiman, is from New York. And the GM of the Knicks, Scott Perry, was with the Seattle SuperSonics when they drafted Durant.

Also, Irving is reportedly considering NYC. So who knows? Maybe all of them will convince Durant to go to New York, New York - a place so big they had to name it twice.

If that’s how it goes down, we will offer Durant thanks and move on.

But surely this entire season isn’t going to be a show-Kevin-the-love tour, is it? With “Please don’t go” signs?

Because people here love their sports. They love their players and they love their teams. But they are seasoned, knowledgeable and reasonable. They know this is a business.

They remember when the 49ers traded Joe Montana. They hated it. But they got over it. Right around the time when the team won a fifth Super Bowl with Steve Young.

So, KD, if you’re really weighing the decision, take your time. But know this. You’re at the top in terms of basketball and quality of life right now.

Changing cities isn’t going to improve that.

But hey, let us know what you’re going to do. Maybe sometime in June?

Contact C.W. Nevius at cw.nevius@pressdemocrat.com. Twitter: @cwnevius