Golden State Warriors: Reggie Miller on Kevin Durant’s free agency plan

It seems like everyone is offering up an opinion on the Kevin Durant to the New York Knicks rumors, so former NBA star Reggie Miller decided to join the party.

There’s been a lot of drama surrounding Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant recently. Between all of the speculation about his plans for 2019 NBA free agency and his recent media-aimed outburst, it’s no wonder the 2014 NBA MVP is doing his best to ignore the outside world.

However, now it’s more than just the media providing their two cents on the situation. On Tuesday, former Indiana Pacers great Reggie Miller warned to pull back on the reins if you’re hoping to see Durant wearing a New York Knicks jersey next season.

During a Turner Sports conference call with Sacramento Kings legend Chris Webber, Miller claimed that he “can’t see him going to New York.”

Now this obviously has to be taken with a grain of salt. Miller didn’t cite any sources, instead making it sound like more of a hunch than anything else. And yet, as we’ve learned over the years, there may not be any source more connected when it comes to NBA rumors than former players –especially of Miller’s stature.

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Miller didn’t stop there, though. He took it a step further, warning that Durant would be under even more media scrutiny if he did take his talents to the Big Apple.

"If he’s a little surly and upset about what The Athletic wrote about him, if he gets a couple of bad games in New York, under that microscope, he’s really going to be upset. So you got to factor everything when you’re joining the New York Knicks – the number one media market in the world and in our game. You can’t be upset with the media when you’re back to back NBA champion and back to back Finals MVPs."

Interesting that Miller is almost suggesting that Durant can’t handle the spotlight that comes with playing in New York, but the point is taken regardless.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, people have been connecting dots between Durant and the Knicks for months. More fuel was splashed onto the fire when New York traded their young star, Kristaps Porzingis, to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the Feb. 7 trade deadline. Speculation subsequently ran rampant than the Knicks were poising themselves for a legitimate run at Durant.

It didn’t help his case when KD went on a media strike immediately after the deal was done. That led The Athletic’s Ethan Strauss to suggest that his silence carried significant implications, spurring Durant to lash out at Strauss and the media a week ago.

Speculation on the future will always be a part of the sports world in general. You’d think Durant would be used to it by now, especially after his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Warriors three offseasons ago. With that said, his desire to just play basketball and be left alone about his pending free agency is warranted.

Chances are we’ll hear more from other NBA players, both former and current, in the coming weeks and months. For now, let’s hope the noise doesn’t get to Durant’s head — the Warriors still have a three-peat to pull off.