NBA Trade News: New York Knicks Reject LaMarcus Aldridge, Push Him To San Antonio Spurs; Kevin Durant Trains With Stephen Curry, Chris Paul

By Mitch de Leon
Kevin Durant
The Golden State Warriors eye the potential transfer of Kevin Durant in the NBA champions' team.

The NBA season will open with the highly-anticipated game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Coming off a foot injury from the previous NBA season, fans and followers of Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder are eager to see what the player has in store for them. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs roster looks incredibly promising especially with the entry of LaMarcus Aldridge in the NBA team.

While a number of notable trades and transfers were made throughout the offseason of the NBA, one of the most widely followed star is Aldridge. Following his nine-year stint with the Portland Trailblazers, Aldridge ultimately chose to call the San Antonio Spurs his next home this NBA season. Prior to landing a spot in the San Antonio Spurs, however, Aldridge had been seriously contemplating joining the New York Knicks.

In an interview with New York Daily News, Aldridge shared that his meeting with the New York Knicks went haywire after he learned that the NBA team wanted him to play center instead of taking charge of his usual spot and playing power forward. To further accentuate the intentions of the New York Knicks in terms of his future with the NBA team, Aldridge revealed that his presence will serve as support to the newly recruited power forward, Kristaps Porzingis. Sharing that he was actually quite "excited" to meet with the New York Knicks, Aldridge felt disappointed when the NBA team informed him of his role in the development of Porzingis. Offering his services as power forward instead, the now San Antonio Spurs player was turned down.

While Aldridge admits that he truly wanted a chance to play with close friend Carmelo Anthony with the New York Knicks, he knew that he could not compromise his position. Hence, the NBA star opted to go for the San Antonio Spurs where he will be seen alongside Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard. In addition to these NBA stars, the San Antonio Spurs also managed to sign David West via free agency. West is a two-time NBA All-star.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the return of Durant. Fresh off his foot injury from the previous NBA season, Durant is more than eager to get back to the court. As his first venture into once again rubbing elbows with his fellow NBA superstars, Durant signed for the minicamp held by the USA Basketball Team. While Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls turned down the offer to participate and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers still undecided on whether or not he will join the group, the Oklahoma City Thunder star has no qualms joining the roster.

"Iron sharpens iron," shared Durant, referring to the potential benefits of joining the minicamp not only for himself but also for the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to ESPN. He added, "I'd be a fool if I didn't get with any of these guys. If I wanted to be secretive about workouts, or be by myself, I'd be stupid to do that. To bounce ideas off of Chris Paul, LaMarcus Aldridge, Draymond Green, Steph Curry, that's like heaven, like being in basketball heaven with these guys."

With the addition Aldridge in the San Antonio Spurs roster and the potential return of Durant in the Oklahoma City Thunder game plays, it would be interesting to see how the changes will affect the first game of the NBA season. Will the New York Knicks regret their decision of prioritizing Porzingis over Aldridge? Will Durant's comeback mark a promising season for the Oklahoma City Thunder and give them the much needed boost to reach the NBA Finals?

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