Kevin Durant, Knicks Had Mutual Interest At Trade Deadline With Offer Made

[RealGM Wiretap]

Kevin Durant and the New York Knicks had mutual interest ahead of the trade deadline when the Phoenix Suns made him available. The Knicks even went so far as making an offer for Durant even though no deal came to fruition. 

"There was some mutual interest Kevin Durant and the Knicks at the trade deadline," said Shams Charania. "The Knicks made an offer for Kevin Durant at the NBA trade deadline. Obviously, there was no Kevin Durant trade. We'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks. Do they go star hunting? At the bare minimum, they're going to have to add some more depth. That's going to be a requirement of this team this offseason."

Because the Knicks are below the second apron, they could have more flexibility than some of their rivals in the Eastern Conference to execute a major trade.

Charania also reported that the Knicks will pursue whether they could trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo should he become available, while Durant is firmly on the market. 

Durant has one season remaining on his current contract and is expected to sign an extension of some kind upon his trade to a new team. Durant was strongly linked to the Knicks ahead of his 2019 free agency, but he and Kyrie Irving eventually chose to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. 

Via Shams Charania/ESPN

[njknicks]

Knicks arc coming full circle.

5 years of consistency / growth under Thibs -- established culture, reaching ECF despite poor depth -- overhauled team with 2 centerpieces ( KAT, Brunson )

Now?
Fired Coach ( whom they extended with a 3 year deal ), flying rumors of trades for past your prime star(s) --- seems like Knicks have come full circle ( back to the early 2000's, the good "old" days )

Knicks will be Knicks ....

[Luv those Knicks]

The Knicks have a good GM, so lets see what he can do this off-season. The Knicks had a solid draft and have 4 young players on the roster, and McBride on a cheap deal and a little bit of cap room and the tax payer MLE.

As for KD to NY? I'm not sure I buy it. I don't know how they'd make that trade work. They wouldn't trade KAT for KD. Could they do Bridges, Josh Hart & McBride? NY would have no bench if they do that? OGA & Mitch? I don't see it.

[NoStatsGuy]

Didnt KD say this isnt true? There is this Screenshot floating around where he answers to a fan, that ask about him and the trade Deadline talks.

Could be fake, could be lies. But this is knicks for clicks

[G R E Y]

So there's been mutual interest between KD and Rockets, Spurs, and now Knicks.

Keep putting out those feelers...

[Luv those Knicks]

So there's been mutual interest between KD and Rockets, Spurs, and now Knicks.

Keep putting out those feelers...

KD welcoming a trade last year wouldn't surprise me. That a trade was close and an offer was made raises some questions. The Knicks would have had to trade too many players, which is why I find it hard to believe.

[G R E Y]

So there's been mutual interest between KD and Rockets, Spurs, and now Knicks.

Keep putting out those feelers...

KD welcoming a trade last year wouldn't surprise me. That a trade was close and an offer was made raises some questions. The Knicks would have had to trade too many players, which is why I find it hard to believe.

I meant in a broader sense like it's clear Suns and KD are parting ways and the latter's business partner is finding best fit. I don't doubt all three (and also Minny from what I've heard, and whichever other team we hadn't heard of) had mutual interest. Rockets have Suns' picks so of course Suns want a deal there. KD played in Texas and there was some deadline trade talk with Spurs. KD obviously likes New York for obvious reasons.

Just feels like this is part of generating interest for better packages type of thing.

[Barcs]

What could they have possibly offered for Durant? They were planning on blowing up the team MID SEASON? WTF is wrong with Leon Rose...

[saltybs]

I'm a lifelong basketball fan. I'm surprised so many people don't agree that KAT for KD straight up would help the Knicks. I watched nearly every game this season. KAT's a great player, but his defense is unquestionably atrocious at times. He gives up LOTS of easy points, every single game. Watching him and Brunson guard the pick and roll is painful. I believe the two of the can't share the court and win a ring. They could be "very good," like this year, but I don't believe championship caliber. These days, you can't have a 1 and 5 who are both average (or below average) defenders, while still being a contender. You can have one (or the other) be average, but not both. And given that this is clearly Brunson's team, I believe trading KAT while his value is high puts the team in the better position to win it all. And for those saying KD is "too old"... Championship windows are very short. Look at the Celtics - there's is arguably over, with this iteration of the team, just a few years after it opened. Knicks have 3-4 years to make it happen. I believe KD has 3-4 years left in those legs playing at a high level.

[Barcs]

I'm a lifelong basketball fan. I'm surprised so many people don't agree that KAT for KD straight up would help the Knicks. I watched nearly every game this season. KAT's a great player, but his defense is unquestionably atrocious at times. He gives up LOTS of easy points, every single game. Watching him and Brunson guard the pick and roll is painful. I believe the two of the can't share the court and win a ring. They could be "very good," like this year, but I don't believe championship caliber. These days, you can't have a 1 and 5 who are both average (or below average) defenders, while still being a contender. You can have one (or the other) be average, but not both. And given that this is clearly Brunson's team, I believe trading KAT while his value is high puts the team in the better position to win it all. And for those saying KD is "too old"... Championship windows are very short. Look at the Celtics - there's is arguably over, with this iteration of the team, just a few years after it opened. Knicks have 3-4 years to make it happen. I believe KD has 3-4 years left in those legs playing at a high level.

You make some very good points, and I'm assuming this would indicate Mitch Robinson starting at center?

[xchange55]

Knicks arc coming full circle.

5 years of consistency / growth under Thibs -- established culture, reaching ECF despite poor depth

Knicks will be Knicks ....

Full circle is bit of a stretch considering nobody thought of them as serious contenders. They beat a Celtics team with a 10% Porzingis, a Brown with torn meniscus and Tatum missing for 2 games. Their regular season record was horrible against the top teams. They went from lower mid tier to upper mid tier.