San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Durant quizzed on free agency
Not now, please: ‘I’ll figure it out once we’re done playing’
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Late Saturday morning, more than 50 media members — voice recorders and iPhones in hand — surrounded the podium with the “Kevin Durant” placard.
Those tweeters and Instagrammers were all in search of a sound bite, the type of quote with viral potential. What they got, however, was a circumspect Durant intent on quashing
speculation about his pending free agency.
Asked about rumblings he’ll leave the Warriors this summer, Durant said during his All-Star Weekend media availability: “I don’t know, that’s on them. I’ll figure it out once we’re done playing.”
Several minutes later, when asked about the recent Kristaps Porzingis trade that helped free up two max-salary slots for the Knicks, Durant said: “I play basketball for the Warriors, and my main concern is to be the best basketball player I can be every day. I have no concern about trade moves or transactions throughout the season with other teams.
“That doesn’t concern me at all. That has nothing to do with me. I’m glad Porzingis is in a better spot for him in Dallas. I’m looking forward to seeing him and Luka (Doncic) play together for years to come.”
It was a stark contrast from Durant’s Feb. 6 postgame news conference, when — in his first public comments in nine days — he ripped reporters for coverage of his pending free agency. Pressed on why he had shirked media scrums for more than a week, Durant said: “I just don’t trust none of y’all . ... I just want to play ball. I want to go to the gym and go home.” By Monday morning, he was appearing on “Good Morning America” and “Get Up!” But this wasn’t an apology tour. Instead of addressing his criticism of the media on GMA, he discussed lighter topics like his civic work in Maryland, his new show on ESPN+ and Sunday’s All-Star Game. Asked on “Get Up!” about his criticism of the media, Durant said: “I was just letting them know what I want to talk about. It was good to get that off my chest.”
But Durant seemed to understand that, in the lead-up to the All-Star Game, he could no longer sidestep questions about free agency.
His most terse responses during his 28-minute availability were to questions about his favorite workout song, favorite movie and favorite Michael Jordan memory. Instead of shooting down follow-up queries about rumors that he plans to sign with New York this summer, Durant provided relatively insightful answers.
Asked about his close friend, DeAndre Jordan, who was traded to the Knicks as part of the deal that sent Porzingis to Dallas, Durant said: “It’s my friend that got traded. He’s in a good place, and he understands what the business is like. We talk about life more so than the NBA. He’ll be fine.”
Asked about his manager, Rich Kleiman, who hopes to run the Knicks someday, Durant said: “He’s been somebody who has been with me for a while, a minute now. So, I trust him.”
It was clear, however, that Durant still doesn’t necessarily trust the media. Asked about his relationship with former running mate Russell Westbrook, Durant said: “I think a lot of you guys got in the way and tried to make it bigger than it was because you needed a story.
“I understand because that’s your job, but that’s not really your job. I understand what that was like now that I’m looking back on it because I never really had a problem with nobody in this league, to the point where I didn’t like anyone or hated someone. It wasn’t really that deep. I think a lot of you guys just got in the way because it was the cool thing to do.”
More than two-thirds of the way through his 12th season in the league, Durant is not yet comfortable with the relentless scrutiny that comes with being one of the greatest players in NBA history. It is tough for him to reconcile why fans are often more interested in off-court drama or free agency than the games at hand.
“Just the NBA game in general is getting overlooked by speculation and everything,” Durant said. “It’s the soap opera, and we’re all actors just trying to play our roles.
“My role is to go play ball and answer questions the way I’m supposed to.”
Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle. com Twitter: @Con_Chron