While the New York Knicks pursue a replacement for fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, the next objective for team management will be to address the roster.
Many observers and fans are attempting to connect dots between the Knicks and Phoenix Suns for a trade involving Kevin Durant. New York already had that move in mind this past season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“There was some mutual interest between the Knicks and Kevin Durant at the trade deadline,” Charania said on Thursday’s “NBA Today.” “The Knicks made an offer for Kevin Durant at the NBA trade deadline. Obviously, there was no Kevin Durant trade.”
The Suns will almost certainly have to shed Durant’s $54.7 million salary for next season to facilitate a roster makeover for new general manager Brian Gregory and head coach Jordan Ott.
Durant will also surely want to play for a NBA championship contender and the Knicks will want to make an impact addition after winning 51 games and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals.
An easy match would appear to be a trade involving Karl-Anthony Towns. He’s set to make $53.1 million next season, according to Spotrac. But Towns is also signed for at least one more season with a player option after that, which could equal $118 million altogether.
The same applies to another possible target, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks face having to trade their star to rejuvenate their roster. Antetokounmpo’s $54.1 salary for next season would be a match, yet he also has one more year on his contract with a player option that could total $121.2 million.
Charania went on to say the Knicks need to add more depth, which would appear to be difficult if they were to trade for Durant. Whatever depth the roster has will likely have to be used to get a trade done, as they moved five first-round picks to acquire Mikal Bridges. The Suns struggled with that same issue after acquiring Durant and Bradley Beal.
The ESPN NBA insider did not provide details as to what New York offered Phoenix for Durant. Leading up to the trade deadline, the Suns were reportedly closer to making a deal with the Golden State Warriors, but Durant made it clear that he did not want to go back to his former team.
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