NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The New York Knicks offseason is going to be one of suspense and heartbreak. Yes, every fan wants an All-Star lineup and there is no way the Knicks will make everyone happy. Moves must be made and Kevin Durant has been mentioned numerous times.
According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, he has come up with a way the Knicks might be able to snag Durant away from the Phoenix Suns. All it will take are a few players and draft picks to get the deal done and then a lot of prayers.
Buckley proposes that a deal like this could work: Kevin Durant to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, the No. 24 pick, a 2025 first-round pick (top-10 protected, via WAS), and a 2028 first-round pick. Let’s break this down and see where the issues may occur for the New York Knicks.
Julius Randle is gone. While that may make most Knicks fans happy, that could be seen as a gift and a curse. Durant is a better player than Randle without a doubt but he’s also older and makes $20M more per season. But this is why Robinson was thrown into the deal. Robinson makes $14M per then you add in McBride and his $4.7M and the money works out.
However, the issue the Knicks will run into is filling out the rest of their roster. McBride was a huge part of their second unit last season and he’s still young enough to make a major impact for a few more years. Mitchell is the defensive anchor of the Knicks and Durant is not known as a rim protector. Then comes the huge part of all of this.
Should The Knicks Trade For Kevin Durant
With Robinson gone, the Knicks will have to make a play to keep Isaiah Hartenstein. And rumors are swirling that he’s in line for a huge payday. Can the Knicks afford to pay him in the range of $20-25M per? Then you have to take into account the OG Anunoby issue. Someone is going to pay him and if Durant is here and the Knicks sign Hartenstein, there is not enough to pay OG. Someone is walking away heartbroken.
From Buckley’s point of view, all he sees is the high-scoring pairing between Jalen Brunson and Kevin Durant. Hey, it looks good on paper but hasn’t Durant been through this enough times in his career to know that it doesn’t always work? Yes, he won a few titles with Curry and the Golden State Warriors but that team was well-constructed. This Knicks team had a good run and making a move for Durant will blow all that progress up.
And how can we forget about the draft picks? For the Phoenix Suns, this deal would be a blessing. They get Randle an All-Star, a rim protector and rebounder in Mitchell, and a great second-unit scorer in McBride plus draft picks. This is exactly what the Suns need.
The Suns will receive the 24th pick in the 2024 NBA draft. That may not amount to anything. Then the Knicks will send them a 2025 first-round (top 10 protected) pick from the Washington Wizards. Now that has the potential to be something as the Wizards will not be a good team but it’s still top 10 protected and a 2028 first-round pick. Everything lines up good for the Suns as they need picks they can keep or trade away for another player.
For the Knicks, this is a gamble. Durant will enter the Garden at the age of 36. While his play has shown us no reason to believe he’s slowing down, all players slow down eventually. Is Durant willing to come back to the media circus that resides in NYC after his stint with the Brooklyn Nets? That’s a huge concern. the only way all this works is if the Knicks can put the right players around him and Brunson. This could be the Nets situation all over again. Hell, this could be the Suns situation all over again.
The New York Knicks made strides last season and it would be painful to watch them throw it all away for a player who is not the missing link.
