Why the New York Knicks should still be all in on Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant may seem like damaged goods at this point, but he still provides the clearest path to a championship for the New York Knicks.

When Kevin Durant re-injured his right leg in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals — an injury later revealed to be a ruptured Achilles — it did more than just affect the remaining games of the championship series. With his slow crumble to the hardwood, the landscape of the upcoming free agency period shifted dramatically, along with the future of the entire league.

Nobody quite knew where KD would opt to go upon becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. His greatest setback has now blurred the impending decision even more and has slightly opened up a conversation regarding the potential risks of handing him a max contract.

The New York Knicks have been linked to the reigning two-time Finals MVP since the beginning of the season. Fans would’ve been over the moon had he decided to take his talents to the Big Apple just a week ago. Now, some of that potential excitement has been replaced by fear, none of which should exist regarding a team with as dismal a past as the Knicks have had this century.

For as big of a laughingstock as New York has been in recent years, the new front office has done a surprisingly competent job at guiding the Knicks through a slow and organic rebuild. This has included a number of young prospects including Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and the recently acquired Dennis Smith Jr.

With Durant likely to miss the entire 2019-20 season and have to work his way back to superstar status in the years after, maybe the Knicks would be better off continuing their long-term project. Those three, along with likely No. 3 overall draft pick R.J. Barrett, will form a nice nucleus that will have the chance to grow together into something special over time.

When it comes to prospects of any kind, however, fans usually tend to expect the best from their future rather than level themselves with realistic expectations. Sure, Barrett and Robinson have the potential to reach fairly high ceilings, but such an outcome is wildly unpredictable and certainly isn’t ever guaranteed.

Durant’s rehab will take an excruciating amount of time, to the point where the NBA might not see him on the court until he’s 32 years old. Even upon his return, there’s no guarantee he regains the form that’s made him one of the 15 or so greatest players the league has ever seen.

And yet, should he wish to come to New York, it’s a decision that shouldn’t take long. KD may see a decline in his game, but he isn’t likely to fall off a cliff. His style has never been predicated on physical traits, which should bode well for his chances of success when he does make his way back.

A compromised Kevin Durant — in whatever form that may be — still puts the Knicks far closer to a championship than their young core ever will. He’s that good, while the likes of Knox and company still pose more questions than answers. For fans to get picky with such a hypothetical choice is laughable given how far back one has to go to recall the Knicks’ most recent title (1973).

Say the Knicks were given the choice to sign either Durant or Kawhi Leonard at the start of free agency. The obvious choice then would be to bring in Leonard who, despite his own health issues, brings far less uncertainty to the table.

If folks in the Twitterverse prefer for New York to prioritize its youth movement rather than bring in KD, though, they’re fooling their own subconscious into a best-case scenario of which the odds are heavily stacked against.

The Knicks appear serious about returning to a level that allows them to contend for championships. To do so requires superstar-level talent. It may come with more baggage than expected, but Durant — ruptured Achilles and all — is still the best bet to make that a reality with a tangible track record far better than that of a collection of 20-something-year-old kids.