- The impending free agency of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving has been a major talking point in the NBA all season.
- Despite both players playing for great teams, there have been persistent rumors that they could leave, with the New York Knicks frequently mentioned as a possible destination.
- Rumors, reports, and more have left the NBA world with a trail of bread crumbs to follow and speculate on the futures of both stars.
The NBA regular season is in its stretch run, with the playoffs just around the corner, but two of the biggest stories in the league remain the futures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Both are set to become free agents in what is shaping up to be a stacked free agent class in 2019.
Over the course of the season, rumors have continued to pile on over whether both stars would leave their respective teams in free agency, possibly to team up. The New York Knicks are frequently mentioned as a potential landing spot. Both players' actions throughout the season have only added fuel to the fire.
Here's why the free agency hype is building:
The futures of Durant and Irving have been a subject of interest dating back to last summer.
Durant and the Warriors were coming off a second straight title, but there were signs suggesting that all was not well within the group.
Since joining the Warriors, Durant has signed "1+1" contracts — one-year deals with a player option for a second year.
The deals do not give the Warriors a long-term commitment. They've helped set Durant up to make more money, but they've also kept his options open each summer.
After the 2017-18 season, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told ESPN's Zach Lowe on a podcast that he had a one-on-one meeting with Durant during the season because he sensed Durant "drifting."Lowe wrote separately that he believes the Warriors were somewhat nervous that Durant might leave. He, of course, did not.
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