Was it right in front of us the whole time?
Speculation surrounding Kevin Durant's upcoming free agency and potential departure from the Warriors ran rampant over the entire NBA season. Then, at the opening of free agency, Durant announced he would be signing with the Brooklyn Nets to play alongside his friend Kyrie Irving in the Mecca.
The Nets' arrival into the Durant sweepstakes seemed to be sudden -- the Knicks were seen as the presumptive favorites for most of the season -- but perhaps, as Bobby Portis suggests, the choice was made a while ago.
After announcing his decision to leave the Bay for Brooklyn, Durant also decided to change his number from 35 to seven. That got some people thinking about a hat KD wore last season. A black-and-white one with, you guessed it, the number seven.
KD gave a hint back in April. 👀 pic.twitter.com/CAMvqoTX8U— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 7, 2019
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Now, is it possible Durant just likes the hat -- a "Compound 7" snapback -- and this has nothing to do with him telegraphing an upcoming move to the Nets? Absolutely. That's almost certainly what it is.
But let's indulge the conspiracy a bit.
Portis claims NBA players knew in February that Durant and Irving would be headed to the Nets. Durant was prickly all season about the number of questions and attention his upcoming decision was getting.
So If he and Irving had decided to head to Brooklyn months prior to hitting the open market than perhaps he decided to have a little fun with the media and fans who had been badgering him about every whisper. A little, 'If you're so smart then why can't you see what's in front of you?" type game.
Once again, I'm sure he just likes the hat.
[RELATED: Warriors won't let people forget greatness of their dynastic run]
Durant won't don his new No. 7 until the 2020-21 season as he attempts to come back from the ruptured Achilles he suffered in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The Warriors, meanwhile, will charge into the future with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and D'Angelo Russell hoping to prove the dynasty by the Bay isn't dead yet.
