During an extensive interview on ESPN's First Take, Kevin Durant gave a detailed explanation of why he decided to leave the Golden State Warriors.

"I just felt like I needed a switch," said Durant. "I felt like a lot of stuff in Golden State had reared its head. It was just going to be the end no matter what, especially for that group. Shaun Livingston was retiring. Andre Iguodala was getting older. Our contracts were going to stifle the team and put us in a hole to get other players. It was just time to kind of separate."

Durant also spoke about how his confrontation with Draymond Green made his pending free agency a larger story than he thought it needed to be throughout the season.

Durant refuted the notion that he joined the Brooklyn Nets to try to win in a situation that is more difficult than the one he joined with the Warriors in 2016.

Kevin Durant admitted the way Draymond Green confronted him early in the 18-19 season during and after a game at the Los Angeles Clippers impacted his free agency decision.

Stephen A. Smith asked him about that situation during an appearance on ESPN's First Take

"I wish that wouldn't have happened," replied Durant. "I feel like that was a situation that could have definitely been avoided. It really came out of nowhere. For us, everybody was just looking for something to tear us down with and I think they used that. It just brought in the firestorm with free agency. Every day was about my free agency. Everyday was about my disposition as a player. What I looked like on the bench. What I looked like during the game. It opened up a lot of nonsense I think could have been avoided.

"Me and Draymond talked about it."

Smith then asked Durant about Green admitting he refused to apologize until he saw his former teammate hurt.

"Draymond knew he was out of line. As men, we talked about it. Everybody around tried to get us to mend it fast because the season (was going on). He had his process on how he wanted to handle things and I respected that and I have my process and we eventually handled it."

Smith then asked for a definitive answer from Durant on whether that confrontation influenced his decision to sign with the Brooklyn Nets.

"A little bit, yeah, for sure," said Durant. "Your teammate talk to you that way, you think about it a bit."

The Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised their third-year team option on guard Collin Sexton.

Sexton (6-1, 192), the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers, played in all 82 games (72 starts) in 2018-19, averaging 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 31.8 minutes per contest. He went on to earn All-Rookie Second Team honors last season.

In his three appearances this season, Sexton is averaging 17.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.2 minutes per contest. He is also shooting .438 from the three-point line.

The Toronto Raptors are expected to be one of the "chief pursuers" of Giannis Antetkounmpo if he becomes a free agent in 2021, sources tell John Hollinger of The Athletic. 

The Raptors have kept their cap minimal for 2021 beyond their extension for Pascal Siakam, who would presumably be a player Antetkounmpo would want to pair with if he had interest in joining the franchise.

While the Raptors are maintaining their future flexibility, it is not yet clear what they intend to this season with players such as Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka.

The Los Angeles Clippers have exercised their third-year options on the 20-21 contracts of Landry Shamet and Jerome Robinson.

The Clippers acquired Shamet from the Philadelphia 76ers last season as part of the Tobias Harris trade. Shamet was a selection on the NBA’s All-Rookie Second-Team last season.

Robinson appeared in 33 games for the Clippers during his rookie season with averages of 3.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

The NBA had concerns that the focus many fans have on following transactions rather than the games, but that has changed so far in 19-20 with most of the league's superstars settled in their existing situations.

Anthony Davis is the biggest free agent for 2020 and he's widely expected to re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I knew this coming into the season and I can't remember the last season where we're just going to talk about all these storylines," said Adrian Wojnarowski on The Woj Pod. "Like you might talk about that Heat team for a week or two and then we're just back to free agency. You might talk about Minnesota's interesting start, but then we're back to free agency.

"We pretend to care about the season for about 10 days and then all anybody really cares about is what's coming. And we don't have that this year. We just don't have it.

"Nobody believes Anthony Davis is not staying with the Lakers."

During his exit interview following the 18-19 season, Kyrie Irving informed Danny Ainge he intended to leave the Boston Celtics.

Irving had already decided he would sign with the Brooklyn Nets and not the New York Knicks.

Irving grew up a fan of the Nets and was encouraged by what they were building.

Boston eventually signed Kemba Walker as the replacement for Irving.

Kyrie Irving became friends with Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan during the 2016 Olympics. Irving had just won a title with the Cleveland Cavaliers while Durant was coming off his decision to join the Golden State Warriors.

The three had endless conversations about basketball, including how LeBron James had orchestrated his own "friend group" with the Miami Heat with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

On one of the final nights they had together during their Olympic run, Irving, Durant and Jordan toasted.

"Hey, this would be cool to do for real" Jordan recalls Irving saying.

"I asked him, 'What you mean by that?'" Jordan says, "and Ky said, 'Let's all get on the same team and play together.'"

Durant went on to win titles in 2017 and 2018. Irving requested a trade in 2017 from the Cavaliers and ended up on the Boston Celtics. Jordan left the Los Angeles Clippers for the Dallas Mavericks and eventually the New York Knicks in 18-19.

"The brotherhood was real," Irving says, "but circumstances kept us apart."

"There were times when you had to wonder, 'Is this ever going to really happen?"' Jordan says.

All three players became free agents in 2019.

"We all agreed," Jordan says, "'We gotta do this.'"

The Denver Nuggets made a "very aggressive" offer to sign Malik Beasley to a contract extension before the deadline, a sources tells the Mike Singer of the Denver Post.

Beasley will be a restricted free agent this offseason.

“I put in a lot of work, I’m confident,” Beasley said. “I don’t see it as (a gamble), I just see it as I’m out there to play and do my job and do that every night and take it the same way. 

“It was great talks from both parties and just couldn’t figure something out,” Beasley said in his first public comments about the negotiations. “It doesn’t hurt my relationship with them, it doesn’t hurt anything on the court.”

Kemba Walker considered signing with the New York Knicks as a free agent, but he ultimately decided to join the Boston Celtics.

“It was [a consideration]. It was," said Walker. They were definitely one of the teams I was looking at in free agency. But I picked Boston. I just felt it was a better fit for me.”

Walker signed a four-year, $141 million deal with the Celtics.

Walker was asked if the Celtics expressed interest.

“I guess they did. Obviously, the players and teams can’t communicate.”