Kevin Durant. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
Nets star Kevin Durant made Stephen A Smith look a fool for speculating about him rejecting an extension when he reportedly agreed to a deal hours later.
Stephen A Smith is wrong about a lot of things. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that he was wrong about Kevin Durant’s desire to stay in Brooklyn.
Still, it’s comical just how beautifully the timing worked out between Smith proposing a scenario where Durant ended up with the Knicks and Durant absolutely blowing that plan up.
“What if they offer the extension and KD doesn’t want it?” Smith speculated on ESPN’s First Take. “What if KD wants to wait a year and just see how things unfold? What if KD—because he’s got this year and then after that he can exercise his player option to be a free agent—what if KD decides, ‘you know what, I’ve been in New York and Brooklyn is nice but the Garden is just a different level’?”
Stephen A didn’t get to live in that fantasy world for very long. Hours later, Adrian Wojnarowski reported Durant is planning to sign a four-year extension when he becomes eligible on Saturday. The new deal would be worth $198 million.
Kevin Durant is staying with the Nets despite Stephen A Smith’s speculation
Durant signed with the Nets in 2019 and is entering the third year of his contract this coming season with a $40.9 million price tag.
He didn’t achieve the heights he wanted in 2021, but he has a Big 3 including James Harden and Kyrie Irving providing loads of optimism for the future. The incentive to leave for the Knicks just never seemed to be there.
At 32 years old, Durant averaged 26.9 points per game with 7.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He played just 35 games.