Daily Knicks
Fansided

Report: Knicks Could Deal NBA Draft Pick for Kevin Durant

By Maxwell Ogden

facebooktwitterreddit

Come June, the New York Knicks will have a Top 5 selection in the NBA Draft for the first time since 1986. Most expect New York to land a player who can not only help the team in the short-term, but be groomed as the future face of the franchise.

That may not happen.

According to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, the Knicks could trade their Top 5 pick for one of two extraordinary Kevin’s: Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder or Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Although Jackson and general manager Steve Mills, during a “town hall” with season-ticket holders two weeks ago, seemed to give indications that the Knicks are unlikely to trade the pick, some league insiders say the Knicks could consider doing so to become competitive immediately. Otherwise, the fix might not be as quick.“They could try to trade it for Kevin Durant,” one NBA executive said. “Or maybe Kevin Love. Cleveland probably would do that.”"

Love is eligible to become a free agent this summer, while Durant is under contract through 2015-16.

On the Durant front, he’ll become a free agent during the summer of 2016 with the high probability that he’ll receive a max contract. Given the rising salary cap, he could potentially sign for somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

If any team is equipped to give Durant that type of deal, it’s the methodically cultivated and financially stout Knicks of New York.

Probable or otherwise, the 2014-15 NBA regular season could facilitate the Knicks’ ability to sign Durant. It could also hinder it.

In 2014-15, the Thunder went 45-37 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008-09. The primary reason for OKC’s regression: Durant only played in 27 games.

Oklahoma City went 18-9 with the 2013-14 NBA MVP, but had a record of just just 27-28 when Durant wasn’t available to play.

Throw in Russell Westbrook‘s extraordinary individual season and there are two possible results. One is that Oklahoma City will realize Durant’s value and do whatever it takes to keep him long-term, extending the KD and Westbrook union.

Did Russell Westbrook’s massive season make Kevin Durant expendable? Or did OKC missing the playoffs establish KD’s value to the organization? Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The other is that Oklahoma City builds around Westbrook and deals Durant for maximum value.

Should New York trade for Durant, it’d likely need to include its Top 5 draft pick and multiple other pieces of significant value. That’d likely include Cleanthony Early, Tim Hardaway Jr. and a number of future picks—an offer that may not be enough to land the four-time scoring champion, healthy foot or not.

Iannazzone’s sources weighed in on that truth:

"“They don’t really have any trade assets,” a Western Conference executive said. “It’s going to be hard to get off the deck. They have a long road up the hill. They got to go one block at a time. One piece at a time and have some patience.”"

If one thing is clear, it’s that Phil Jackson and company will be swinging for the fences.

Regardless of whom they acquire, the Knicks will live by a mantra that every New Yorker is familiar with: go big or go home.

More from Daily Knicks

Home/Knicks News