If the New York Knicks are serious about trading for Kevin Durant, they must also prioritize signing one free agent who becomes essential in the aftermath: Al Horford.
The 39-year-old member of the Boston Celtics has already been mentioned as a possible target for the Orange and Blue this offseason. And he remains a perfect addition even if the Knicks don't have Kevin Durant. Horford is on the older side and prone to more highs and lows, but every team in the NBA could use a big man who spaces the floor, hangs tough in space on defense, has a high passing IQ, and can easily anchor lineups as the center or as the power forward playing beside another tower.
Still, New York’s reported interest in a Durant trade increases the urgency with which it must chase the five-time All-Star. And it has everything to do with who the Knicks will be sending out to get KD.
Kevin Durant is almost assuredly going to cost the Knicks Karl-Anthony Towns
Any trade that lands KD in the Big Apple is going to require shipping out Karl-Anthony Towns. That might sound bonkers at first blush. It's not.
Towns’ 2025-26 salary ($53.1 million) is almost a perfect match for the two-time MVP's price point ($54.7 million), which is super convenient for a Knicks team that needs to send out more money than it’s taking back in any trade. Find a third party to take on P.J. Tucker’s minimum contract, and poof! You’re done. Easy peasy.
Yes, there are other packages New York can build. And it might be tempting to do so knowing the Phoenix Suns aren’t interested in Towns. But other permutations will cost the Knicks at least two of OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson. For a team already considered shallow, consolidating two top-six rotation players into a soon-to-be 37-year-old on an expiring contract is the type of decision that should get lead executive Leon Rose fired.
KAT has to be the centerpiece of any KD trade, even if it means sussing out another suitor who wants him, and can send stuff to Phoenix. Swapping out his mega salary for Durant’s own is the only way a deal makes sense for New York. And that’s where Al Horford comes into play.
Knicks will need another big if they trade KAT for KD
The Knicks already need to be in the market for a third big. Robinson is fantastic, but he has battled health issues basically his entire career, and isn’t used to shouldering heavy workloads.
Even if you want to bring him off the bench next year and keep KAT at the 5, you need that extra tall body. And if the plan is to start Robinson alongside Towns moving forward, then adding a first big off the bench becomes absolutely critical.
In the event New York sends out Towns for Durant? Forget about it. The need for another big becomes dire. Robinson can’t be counted on for more than, like, 25 minutes per night, and the Knicks already know they won’t get by with Ariel Huckporti or unrestricted free agent Precious Achiuwa.
Enter Horford. He can start next to Robinson, or alongside him. He can even come off the bench. There isn’t a frontcourt role he’s incapable of filling.
More than that, he profiles as an ideal Towns replacement. The entire point of the Knicks trading for KAT was to access five-out spacing. It never quite materialized given how defenses guarded Josh Hart, but the vision entirely implodes if Robinson and other rim-runners are your only big-man options. Horford opens up the floor enough to continue tapping into those five-out units—which become far more terrifying, by the way, when you’re effectively subbing out Hart and Towns for Durant and Horford.
New York needs to hope Horford isn't looking for a raise
Signing Horford won’t necessarily be easy to the Knicks. He was already considered a bargain last season while making $9.5 million. New York will not be able to offer him more than the $5.7 million mini mid-level exception, and depending on how they flesh out the roster, even that can be a stretch.
Pitching impact players on pay cuts is dicey, and seldom works. Fortunately for the Knicks, momentum may be in their favor.
Boston is about to enter cost-cutting mode following Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury. Horford has a real shot at becoming collateral damage of that process. Signing with New York gives him the opportunity to stay somewhat local while still playing for a contender, and the Knicks can separate themselves from the pack by offering him a starter’s spot, which they would have available without Towns.
Is that enough for Horford to leave the Celtics, and eschew other overtures likely worth more money? Nobody can be sure. But the Knicks need to at least try—especially if they’re all-in on KD.