Throughout the history of the New York Knicks, one theme has always been abundantly clear: they are always their own worst enemy. From going all out to chase star players to drafting the wrong players to hiring and firing the wrong head coaches, New York has no one but themselves to blame for their past mistakes.
The Knicks find themselves in trade rumors, with Kevin Durant being a name they are looking at. Durant and the Suns are working together to find him a new home for next season and New York is a potential destination. It is also well-chronicled that the two parties had interest in each other when Durant was a free agent in 2019, but he chose to sign with the Nets.
The New York Knicks would be making a mistake if they traded for Kevin Durant.
This Knicks team is already thin and trading for Durant would make them even thinner. New York barely had eight rotation players they could rely upon in the playoffs. The Knicks ranked 15th in the playoffs in bench points (15.8 per game).
Trading for Durant would create more problems rather than solving them. In order for a trade to be legal, the Knicks would have to part with one of Towns, Bridges, or Anunoby plus another player like Deuce McBride, Mitchell Robinson, or Josh Hart.
The Suns are also a second apron team, meaning they cannot aggregate money or players in trades, so this would be another hurdle the Knicks would have to navigate.
Additionally, let’s say New York does acquire Durant. He has one year left on his deal and the Knicks would likely need to sign him to an extension. How would they feel paying a 37-year old max money? Not to mention his injury history and how long he wants to continue playing for.
There are simply too many factors and hurdles to clear for Durant to New York to become a reality.
With the Eastern Conference set to be wide open again next season, the Knicks need to navigate their offseason carefully. Their core of Brunson, Towns, Anunoby, and Bridges is set for the next few years, and New York just needs to surround them with the proper pieces, especially off the bench. They just got to the conference finals and were two wins away from the NBA Finals.
Hiring a new head coach, adding a couple bench pieces, and developing their young talent should be the Knicks’ main objective this offseason. They cannot fall into their mistakes of the past by star hunting.