Kevin Durant reacts to reporter saying the best thing to happen to Knicks was KD and Kyrie choosing Brooklyn

In the summer of 2019, a pair NBA of teams based in the state of New York, the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, were linked to two of the marquee free agents available that year: guard Kyrie Irving and forward Kevin Durant.

It was the Nets who won the sweepstakes for both Durant and Irving, as the duo joined forces on Brooklyn and were teammates for over three seasons. However, the Knicks got the last laugh, as they are set to make the most recent Eastern Conference Finals appearance out of the two squads.

The Knicks just recently punched their ticket to the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals after they eliminated the defending champion Boston Celtics in the second round.

The Nets, on the other hand, never advanced past the second round of the playoffs with Irving and Durant in the fold. A Nets reporter claimed on X that the best thing to happen to the Knicks was Durant and Irving spurning them for the Nets, but Durant seems to disagree with that assessment.

Irving signed with the Nets following a drama-filled 2018-19 season playing for the Boston Celtics, while Durant changed teams after he won two championships playing alongside guard Stephen Curry on the Golden State Warriors.

Neither player is still with the franchise, as Durant is with the Phoenix Suns and Irving is a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

While the Knicks are riding a high as they will soon make their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals since the year 2000, the Nets didn’t even make the 2025 NBA Playoffs and were one of the worst teams in the conference during the regular season.

The Nets won just 26 of their 82 games in the 2024-25 campaign and are lacking a definitive face of the franchise. Guard Cam Thomas and forward Cameron Johnson stick out as the cream of the crop on Brooklyn’s roster, and neither player screams future superstar.

It’s quite an achievement that the Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference Finals, but they’re looking to do plenty more winning in these playoffs. Guard Jalen Brunson, big man Karl-Anthony Towns and company will try to help the Knicks to their first title in over 50 years, as they last won it all in 1973.