Kevin Durant To Knicks? Warriors Star Responds To New York Billboard Recruitment

The recruiting for Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant has already begun even with eight months still left for free agency next year.

Marketing company NYCADSCO put up a billboard Thursday recruiting Durant to the New York Knicks just outside Madison Square Garden. The billboard features Durant as a cartoon in a Knicks jersey along with Kristaps Porzingis and the caption, "Can you make NY sports great again?"

Durant is also notably holding Larry O'Brien Trophy, which the Knicks last won in 1973, and there is a hashtag #KDNY2019.

"My business partner and I are lifelong Knick fans, and we are tired of all the losing, so we decided to do our part in helping our team recruit the best players the NBA has to offer, because that's what New York sports deserves," Benjamin Pokh, president of NYCADSCO said, according to ESPN.

Durant even responded to it following Thursday's practice, as while he understands why fans are excited about free agency, he isn't particularly impressed with billboard recruiting in general.

"It's the time the NBA is in," Durant responded. "We look forward to free agency as fans, and your guys' job is to kind of look towards the future a little bit. And the fans love it. So I understand. To be honest, I don't know how I feel about that type of stuff."

"It's cool. No disrespect, but I'm not really impressed with that type of stuff. I just really like playing basketball. ... I know all of that stuff is a part of it, but for me I don't really get up for that stuff," he said.

As for rumors continuing to link him with a move to New York next year, Durant thinks nothing of it and is simply focused on being the best player he can be.

"Just gotta be a great basketball player every single day," he added. "The best basketball player I can be every single day. That's all I really try to lock in on."

Durant, of course, can become an unrestricted free agent in 2019, and the general feeling is that the 30-year-old will leave the Bay Area in search of a new challenge. ESPN's Chris B. Haynes notably revealed earlier this month the Knicks have a "good shot" of luring him to New York.

"I will say this. New York Knicks have a very good shot at luring KD away from the Bay Area," Haynes said. "The reason I say that is his business partner Rich Kleiman is based in New York, huge Knicks fan. Their business is located and based in New York. KD's dad is a big Knicks fan."

"The same allure that LeBron had towards the Los Angeles Lakers, just the building, the culture, is the same thing, same way I know that KD feels about the Knicks," he added.

Speaking of the building, Durant also spoke highly of Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

"It's like a playground with walls," Durant explained. "You walk outside and you're right on the street. It feels like you're playing at Rucker Park, just indoors. And that energy, I remember my first game as a rookie. I can remember I played pretty well, I had 30 that night. My family came up and we stayed after the game so we celebrated a little bit. But that energy -- it's just pure, pure love for the game at the Garden."

The projected max contract for Durant, who has over 10 years of experience, is $38.15 million for the first year, and the Knicks as it stands, project to only have $32 million for next season following their waiving of Joakim Noah's contract.

That figure does not factor salary owed to their 2019 first-round pick or potential free agent Enes Kanter either, so the Knicks will have to shed some cap space which may involve trading one of Tim Hardaway Jr. or Courtney Lee, who will earn $18,150,000 and $12,759,670 respectively next season.