Kevin Durant made an appearance on the Draymond Green show. When talking about whether he would partake in the rumored $1 million 1-on-1 tournament should it take place at the next NBA All-Star weekend, Durant admitted that the prospect sounded enticing to him. However, he wasn’t assured in himself, noting that Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could beat him in the tournament.
“Would I play? Yeah, I’d play. It’d be some good work too. You can say I can win this, but I can also lose too. I done played ones with Jayson Tatum, and he got cooking… I would say [Tatum], Kyrie, for the simple fact that I played against them… Like a Joel [Embiid], he can get a bucket from the wing [when healthy]. Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], I mean Shai be tough in the ones, especially if we get a five second clock.”
For a million dollars, Durant would have the added motivation to defeat everyone he is playing against. But the fact that he had the humility to acknowledge that there are players in the NBA that could give him some trouble in the tournament just goes to show not only the greatness in the NBA, but also the level of seriousness that Durant would approach a hypothetical tournament with.
This 1-on-1 tournament is a rumored solution that the NBA is considering to help bolster interest in All-Star weekend, after yet another round of uninspired basketball took place at this year’s event. The NBA had urged players to play at a competitive level prior to the tournament, but it fell on deaf ears once again.
This new 1-on-1 tournament has not gone down well as an idea, as several NBA GMs called out Adam Silver for being obsessed with tournaments as a solution to fix the NBA’s current viewership problem.
Kevin Durant might think he could lose to Kyrie Irving next year if this tournament does take place, but he could be doing it as his teammate on the Dallas Mavericks. It was reported recently that the Suns and Durant both know they are parting ways this summer, and the Mavericks have an interest in the two-time NBA champion.
Durant getting the chance to reunite with Irving, whom he spent four years with as a teammate on the Brooklyn Nets could unleash another version of Durant. Irving is one of Durant’s favorite teammates, and getting to play together once again, this time on a team where they don’t feel hamstrung by the coach or the GM could be exactly what they need to take things to another level.
Durant and Irving were hoping to win a championship in Brooklyn, but that didn’t come to pass. Rarely in the NBA do teammates get a second chance on a different team, but Kyrie and Durant could get that opportunity. If they do, they will do their best to make sure it doesn’t go to waste.
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