Kevin Durant sets the record straight on choosing Nets over Knicks in free agency

Nets forward discusses his decision to play in Brooklyn over Manhattan.

A lot was made of Kevin Durant's and Kyrie Irving's decision to go to the Brooklyn Nets over the New York Knicks and the Nets injured forward finally provided a bit of clarity on what went into his free agency plans.

“I just liked the organization as far as the direction they were going in – a bunch of young guys that played in the playoffs before,” Durant told former teammate Serge Ibaka on his YouTube Show. “The Knicks players, they‘re good young players but they still need more experience to match where I was in my career. It was nothing major against the Knicks. I just think Brooklyn is further along in the process of being a contender.”

In New York, everything becomes personal between the Knicks and Nets. Whether it's jockeying in the standings, vying for free agents or capturing fan interest, the inter-city rivals will stop at nothing for New York City bragging rights.

Currently, it's hard to argue that the Nets don't have the upperhand as Durant and Irving landed in Brooklyn changed landscape of the battle of the boroughs and the league at large. Even with the likely prospect that Durant will be sitting out for the entire 2019-2020 season, the Nets are clearly the NOW team that is garnering the lion's share of the media's attention and fan interest.

With the season set to get underway on Wednesday night, fans will finally see if a promising offseason will bear fruit this year.