Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery had a much bigger impact on the free agency hysteria surrounding Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving and Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant than initially expected.
Rumors have blatantly circulated for most of the 2018-19 season that the New York Knicks are favorites to land the two All-Stars during this summer’s free agency period.
The Brooklyn Nets have also quietly been in play with it being reported as far back as March, a month after the most tumultuous stretch of the Celtics’ season, that Irving preferred signing with the Nets over the Knicks.
However, seeing how the Knicks flopped in obtaining the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft – likely missing out on Zion Williamson – the Nets suddenly appear to be an increasingly attractive destination for Irving and Durant.
Marc Stein of The New York Times told Stephen A. Smith that Irving and Durant could join forces in Brooklyn by next season (h/t Anthony Puccio of SB Nation)
“They are going to look at the Nets just as hard as the Knicks, Stein said on The Stephen A. Smith Show podcast Tuesday.”
The Nets have no picks in the lottery but their big win here is the Knicks are seated at the third overall spot in the draft, where prospects such as Duke University’s R.J. Barrett and the University of Virginia’s DeAndre Hunter will likely be the best remaining players on the board. While both provide an immediate boost to a franchise, neither allow the Knicks a practical opportunity to parlay their assets for the superstar of their choosing.
Thus putting the Nets in prime position to revitalize their roster with a two-for-one bargain.
Nonetheless, there’s still plenty that needs to fall into place before July 1.
