It has been widely speculated that NBA superstar Kevin Durant decided to sign with the Brooklyn Nets in free agency because of his desire to be in New York City, the perceived business capital of the world, as well as wanting to play alongside fellow star player Kyrie Irving.

Besides announcing on Instagram that he was joining the Nets and that he will switch to wearing No. 7, the 10-time all-star hasn’t publicly spoken about his move to Brooklyn.

On Tuesday, however, Nets general manager Sean Marks told WFAN Sports Radio in New York what Durant told him about his decision to join the Nets.

"He said a couple things," Marks said. "'I love the system. I love how you guys play. I see how hard you guys play. You were never out of games. We could never take you guys lightly.' That was one of the first things (Durant) said. 'If we were up 10 with two minutes to go, we knew that didn't mean anything against Brooklyn.' That's a real credit to the competitive environment that (Nets coach) Kenny (Atkinson) has brought."

The 30-year-old Durant is expected to miss all of next season after tearing his right Achilles tendon playing in the 2019 NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors versus the Toronto Raptors. Durant, who officially joined the Nets as part of a sign-and-trade with the Warriors, signed a four-year, $164 million max contract this off-season.

Durant, who began his career with then-Seattle SuperSonics, has averaged 27.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game over previous 12 seasons in the NBA. On top of his 10 all-star nods, the two-time NBA champion with the Warriors has also been named Finals MVP twice (2017, 18) and league MVP (2014).