New York Knicks: Derek Fisher thinks Kevin Durant will sign in free agency

Former player and head coach Derek Fisher predicted the New York Knicks will sign Kevin Durant in free agency.

The 2018-19 NBA season has not reached its halfway point, but free agency and trades have consumed the conversation. Games slipping away from the New York Knicks have only increased speculation around this, especially the former.

The Knicks will fall just short of $30 million in salary cap space, as it stands on Dec. 19. It projects to be among the NBA’s best, but can they sign the biggest names available?

On FS1’s Undisputed (h/t SNY), when asked where Kevin Durant will sign in free agency, former Knicks head coach Derek Fisher said, “I would say, New York. Totally guessing.”

It’s not just about what Fisher said, even though it was only a guess, but the increasing numbers of basketball figures that think the Knicks as a factor near the top of free agency.

Only Tuesday, Tyson Chandler said he liked New York’s chances on the open market to sign a big free agent. Chandler, who played with the Knicks from 2011-14, attributed part of it to head coach David Fizdale’s presence.

Dwyane Wade also praised the Knicks’ chances in July 2019, with Fizdale, again, as the reason.

All of this followed Yahoo’s Chris Haynes, who said the Knicks have a “very good shot” at luring Durant from the Golden State Warriors. That happened in early October, before the season started, and the NBA landscape always changes.

To sign Durant to a maximum contract, the Knicks need $38 million in cap space. They do not have that, and a trade to shed salary is necessary. Courtney Lee or Tim Hardaway Jr.’s contract would clear enough room, but at the potential cost of an asset from the roster or a draft pick.

That makes signing Durant, or any big-name free agent, sound unlikely, as Posting and Toasting noted. The scenario of acquiring the former NBA MVP might be a Knick fan’s dream, but hardly feasible unless he takes a pay cut, as what happened with Golden State.

Durant, of course, remakes the Knicks’ image upon arrival. They become an instant candidate to not just make the playoffs, but win a series. Depending on who else they would add, this team has a chance to make a deep run in the postseason.

It’s all hypothetical, though. The Knicks have a long way to go before free agency, with dominos needing to fall before Durant or another top name becomes realistic.