When KD, Irving talk, fans listen
It would take a professional lip-reader to truly find out, but Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were definitely cooking up some kind of scheme at the All-Star Game Sunday night.
Whether they were actually talking about the Knicks is up for fans to believe...or pray for.
A video surfaced on Monday morning of Irving and Durant chatting in the tunnel. Irving looked to be carrying the conversation, as if he were making a sales pitch to Durant. At one point, Irving can clearly be seen saying the word “two” and then holding up two fingers. Durant shakes his head and says something in response to Irving holding up his fingers, and though it looked like the Celtics star might have said the word “max,” it’s nearly impossible to tell for sure. Maybe they were doing it on purpose. Maybe they were talking about a second All-Star Game MVP for Durant, or back-to-back Warriors Championships. From their lips to God’s ears.
Still, just the fact that Irving and Durant were getting together to talk was enough to keep Knicks fans guessing. The soon-to-be free agents are the franchise’s only hope to go from deep in the league’s cellar to a contender in one massive overhaul. With a potential No. 1 pick in the mix, the Knicks also have the possibility of drafting Zion Williamson, or using the pick to trade for Anthony Davis, who wants out of New Orleans. Davis also recently made it clear that the Knicks are on his list and called them a “great franchise.”
Irving, a New Jersey native, has made it clear his verbal commitment to re-signing with the Celtics at the beginning of the season is far from set in stone. He has been publicly unhappy about the state of the team right now and has made negative comments about the team’s younger players. He’s also known to make unpredictable decisions, leaving LeBron James and the championship Cavaliers to strike out on his own with Boston.
Durant wants no part of the rumor mill and has not given any hints about what he’ll do, but one backroom conversation in Charlotte with a fellow free agent only served to leave Knicks fans with a shred of hope, however misguided it may be.