Kevin Durant spoon-feeds the rumor cycle he hates

Kevin Durant had avoided talking to the media for the past week, ever since the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis and convinced basically everyone they had an inkling they’d pull in Durant as a free agent this summer. The Warriors shredded the Spurs on Wednesday, and Durant finally decided to be available to the media.

He was extra available.

Watch the clip for yourself:

In it, Durant verbally slices into a particular report from The Athletic who highlighted all the little ways in which the Knicks rumor is permeating the consciousness around the Warriors. Durant claims he has nothing to do with the Knicks or the Porzingis trade. Durant questions why everyone won’t let him, one of the best players in the world who made a controversial decision to chase championships by joining a 73-win team and making a mockery of competitive spirit, play basketball in peace. Durant, lambasting the attention paid to him, tells the media to “grow up.”

Durant has done some really incredible charitable things. Durant is an incredible basketball player, one of the best ever. Durant has a complex personality and can wear his emotions on his sleeve. He’s human. But for his own sake, Durant really needs to find a way to not let all the wrong kind of attention he clearly loathes get to him.

There’s no way his free agency will be ignored until he signs a multi-year deal somewhere. Wednesday’s comments will only drive more attention toward Durant the next half-dozen times he’s sitting in front of a scrum. (Seriously, he called out by name a reporter who works for a subscription-only outlet. How much money did KD make The Athletic on Wednesday?) This silence-followed-by-eruption sequence creates an incentive for media members to needle him. I mean, when this very newsletter gets posted to the web it will be under a headline that seeks to capitalize on the intense interest in Durant-related rumors, and the post’s presence (with a thousand others that will pop up on Thursday as the basketball fandom digests the comments) will organically grow attention to the existence of the Durant-Knicks rumors and his backlash. He’s spoon-feeding the cycle.

You know who doesn’t get asked about free agency or get thin stories on their intentions spun up every day? You know whose free agency no one writes about? James Harden. Steph Curry. Russell Westbrook. Now LeBron. Sign a multi-year deal and most of this stuff will go away. That’s the fix.

Nuggets 130, Nets 135
Pelicans 125, Bulls 120
Wizards 129, Bucks 148
Hornets 93, Mavericks 99
Suns 88, Jazz 116
Rockets 127, Kings 101
Spurs 102, Warriors 141

All times Eastern. Games on League Pass unless otherwise noted.

LeBron James All-Star Tamper Fest 2019, 7, TNT
Clippers at Pacers, 7
Timberwolves at Magic, 7
Raptors at Hawks, 7:30
Lakers at Celtics, 8, TNT
Grizzlies at Thunder, 8
Spurs at Blazers, 10:30, TNT

There is too much happening on Thursday. The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET. The NBA All-Star Game Draft is at 7 p.m. ET on TNT. Lakers vs. Celtics and all the interpersonal footsie between LeBron and Kyrie Irving is at 8 p.m. ET. Too much.

The Kings traded for Harrison Barnes. As Barnes was playing for the Mavericks. Wild.

The Wizards traded Otto Porter to the Bulls for Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker. Yes: PORTer for PORTis and ParkER. Wild.

The Rockets picked up Iman Shumpert. Who was preparing to play against the Rockets as a member of the Kings. Wild.

I wrote about the Clippers’ astonishing decision to opt out of a playoff race they are leading for a shot at superstar free agents.

Zach Lowe on all the layers to peel back on the Anthony Davis talks.

Possible reasons the Sixers are going all in right now. Chris Herring on whether it’s enough for Philly.

Claire McNear on John Wall and the certainty of D.C. sports despair.

A Lakers trade deadline primer.

Forbes’ valuations are out, if you’re into that.

Darius Soriano on how the Lakers’ front office has misstepped.

An excellent Arash Markazi column on the return to Los Angeles for a changed Reggie Bullock.

Why hasn’t Luc Mbah a Moute played since October without a real diagnosis?

Thank goodness Bobi x Tobi didn’t break up when the Clippers traded Harris.

Swag celebrating Philly’s new Big 4.

Be excellent to each other.