Durant Will Stay With The Warriors, Irving Will Leave Celtics, Scott Says

Kevin Durant’s future with the Golden State Warriors has been a constant topic of discussion during the NBA offseason despite the small forward signing a new deal with the Bay Area team in July.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP signed a new two-year deal with the Warriors, but has a player-option for the second year, which provides an option to again enter free agency in 2019.

Durant admitted earlier that the two-year deal was ideal for him as it gives him control over his future allowing him to choose his destiny in 2019. He has been linked with a move away from the reigning NBA champions, but former NBA star Dennis Scott believes he will remain with the Warriors in the long-term.

The small forward, who was criticized after he left Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Warriors, has more than held his own despite being accused of joining the Stephen Curry bandwagon. He played a key role in helping them win back-to-back NBA Championships, winning the NBA Finals MVP on both occasions.

Durant has been linked with a move to the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers, but Scott believes the forward will remain with the Warriors, where he has a good thing going in terms of on-court relationships with fellow All-Star’s Curry and Klay Thompson and off-court with Bob Myers, the Warriors’ president of basketball operations.

I think he’s in it for the long haul,” Scott said, as quoted by the Express. “He and Bob Myers have developed a solid relationship from a business standpoint because you can see the way he signs this contract.”

“At the end of the day he can build a good relationship with Steph. Steph’s locked in. I think Klay and KD stay with Golden State and they ride this out.”

The Warriors are again overwhelming favorites to the win the NBA title in 2019, after they cruised to the title in 2018, beating the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in four straight games.

Meanwhile, Durant is not the only player whose future has been up for speculation with Kyrie Irving also expected to enter free agency in 2019. The Boston Celtics point guard refused to sign a new deal with his current employers this summer and speculation has been rife that he will leave at the end of the upcoming campaign.

The Celtics guard has also been linked with a move to the Knicks, while the Brooklyn Nets are also said to be plotting a move for the five-time All-Star. He has given no indication that he wants to leave, but Scott insists he will not stay with the Celtics for the rest of his career.

The former Orlando Magic star believes Irving could leave the Celtics, if the Knicks offer him a lucrative deal and assure him that he will be the leader of the team once he enters free agency in 2019.

“Do I think he will stay a Celtic for the rest of his career? No,” Scott said. “After what Kyrie showed us leaving Cleveland… I can see him and Danny sitting down and saying ‘Kyrie, what do you want to do?’ [Kyrie will say] ‘What are you doing? Who are you keeping? Is this my team?’”

“Or if New York called and said ‘hey we have the same amount of money and this is your team’,” Scott added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Kyrie left.”