Kevin Durant will stay with the Warriors if they lose the final, says Stephen A. Smith

The Golden State Warriors are 3-1 in the 2019 NBA Finals, but if Stephen A. Smith's reports from ESPN are correct, there may be a positive side if the Warriors lose the series.

Earlier this week, Smith said he had heard that Durant would likely stay in the Bay Area if the Warriors lost to the Raptors. He also announced that Kyrie Irving, who has long been connected to the New York Knicks alongside Durant, is now interested in Brooklyn nets.

"I learned that Kyrie Irving had given all indications to the Brooklyn Nets that he was where he wanted to go, not to the New York Knicks," Smith said. "As a result of Kyrie Irving … I did not talk to Kyrie Irving, I did not talk to Kevin Durant, let me be very very clear … Si [Irving] decides to go to Brooklyn, KD is not interested in going to Brooklyn. "

Smith then said it would be the Knicks or Durant's Warriors, and that his decision would depend on the outcome of the NBA Finals.

"The belief is that KD will either go to New York without [Kyrie] and convince him to come to New York or settle for someone like Kemba Walker, "he said. Or, KD could decide to stay at Golden State. Whether or not he decides to go to Golden State, the belief is that it depends on whether Golden State wins or not. If they win the final, he goes away. If they lose, he stays. "

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Smith made comments after the Warriors tied the series 1-1, so very few were willing to accept the idea that the Warriors might lose the series.

But with the Warriors playing a game of eliminations, Smith's comments make even more sense. These are still reports of unidentified sources and Smith admitted that he did not speak to Irving or Durant.

To be fair to Smith, however, he had announced before the start of the free agency activity in 2010 that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would team up on the Miami Heat, which very few sports media have seen coming.

"I received a phone call from one source and I checked with another source.They basically said that LeBron James and Chris Bosh were going to team up for join Dwyane Wade in Miami, "Smith said in June 2010.

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Smith was widely ridiculed for his report, but was justified after Wade, Bosh and James all signed with the Heat a week later.

If Smith is still right here, it would be the best option for the Warriors if they can not return to the finals.

Eric Ting is a personal editor of SFGATE. Email: [email protected] | Twitter:@_ericting

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