NBA Rumors: Teams Kevin Durant Has Been Linked To

New York Knicks

The presence of nine-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony and 13-time NBA champion Phil Jackson make anything possible for the New York Knicks. That doesn’t necessarily mean his signing is realistic, but Kevin Durant will at least briefly consider New York as a potential destination.

According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Durant isn’t upset about the fact that people are linking him to a team that calls, “One of the greatest cities in the world,” home.

"“They link everybody with New York City,’’ Durant said after the Thunder’s shootaround at the Garden. “It’s one of the greatest cities in the world. It’s not a bad thing. It’s a great city. Great place to visit, great place to live, I’m sure. But they link everybody, not just me. “I spent some nice time up here playing basketball in New York City. Some of the most memorable times in my life was coming up here, playing outside, just getting the pure love of the game up here. I remember that, always going to remember that the rest of my life and tell my kids about that when I get older. I come from Maryland. We know how big basketball is here. “Of course I enjoy playing here and the Garden. Every movie you watch, you had a scene playing basketball in the Garden. Everything reverts back to being in the Garden, whether [it’s] musicians, basketball players. To play here is just a blessing.’’"

That certainly sounds like a ringing endorsement of New York City and Madison Square Garden.

It’s easy enough to see why the rumor mill went crazy when Durant said, “To play here is just a blessing.” That is the furthest thing from an acceptance of a contract offer, but it suggests that he’ll at least listen to what Anthony and Jackson have to offer.

The issue for the Knicks: they may not have enough to offer.

Rotational structure issues aside, New York is expected to have roughly $18 million in cap space—a number that isn’t quite big enough to offer Durant a max contract. Jose Calderon‘s $7,708,427 salary is a massive burden that couldn’t be traded, and Arron Afflalo‘s $8 million player option could prove more costly than expected.

If New York uses its stretch provision on Calderon, which would enable it to pay smaller chunks of the $7.7 million over multiple years, and both Afflalo and Derrick Williams opt out, New York could potentially make a hefty offer.

It’s not the most likely of moves, but it’s certainly an option.

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