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$194 Million 14-Time All-Star Deemed Offseason Trade Target for Knicks

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8 months ago

May 3, 2024

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4 Million 14-Time All-Star Deemed Offseason Trade Target for Knicks

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Kevin Durant attempts a shot.

The New York Knicks have eight tradeable first-round picks in the offseason, putting them in the mix to land any player who gets traded during the summer. Having the assets to land a superstar, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report listed the Knicks’ “most realistic trade targets,” listing superstar Kevin Durant.

Durant, who has two years left on his $194 million contract, would give the Knicks a true second scorer.

“If something trips up the Knicks this postseason, the lack of a true No. 2 scorer feels like it will be that something. Now, would a healthy Julius Randle change that? Perhaps, but then again his two playoff track record is spotty at best, so maybe he’d struggle to fill that void.

“Kevin Durant wouldn’t. Even at 35 years old, he basically remains a walking source of 30-plus points on impressive efficiency,” Buckley wrote on May 2. “Forcing opponents to have to worry about him and Jalen Brunson could be the key to routinely shredding their defenses.”

Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports reported that the Knicks are a “prime candidate” to land Durant, according to an executive.

“You would have to consider them a prime candidate, too,” an exec said.

How Kevin Durant Would Help the Knicks

Durant, despite being 35 years old, continued playing at an elite level in the 2023-24 season. Averaging 27.1 points per game, the New York Knicks would add another elite scorer to pair with Jalen Brunson.

A 14-time All-Star, his ability to score the basketball has been the highlight of his career. Dating back to his second season in 2008-09, Durant has scored at least 25.3 points per game.

Being 6-foot-11 and shooting 52.3% from the field and 41.3% from three-point range on 5.4 attempts per game shows the type of scorer Durant is. He also played the most games he’s played since the 2018-19 season this year, playing in 75 games.

In his 170 career playoffs, Durant has averaged 29.3 points, making him one of the top playoff scorers in the NBA, too. Being able to take the burden off Brunson when needed could open the rest of the offense as they’d have to focus on two of the best scorers in basketball.

Knicks Could ‘Make a Competitive Offer’

The Phoenix Suns sent four unprotected first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Durant in February of 2023. The deal also included Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Jae Crowder.

It’s uncertain what his value would now be two seasons later, but the New York Knicks have the picks to “make a competitive offer,” Stephen Noh of Sporting News wrote.

“The Knicks have been positioning themselves to make a move for Donovan Mitchell. Could they pivot to Durant?

“New York doesn’t have cap space like these other teams, so they would have to trade away one of their bigger salaries like Julius Randle or Bojan Bogdanovic, along with a handful of their role players,” Noh wrote in an April 30 column exploring landing spots if the Suns move Durant. “They also have a lot of draft picks to make a competitive offer, including all of their own, the Mavs’ No. 24 pick in 2024, and three picks in 2025.”

Julius Randle and picks could intrigue the Suns as the Knicks would send them a three-time All-Star in Randle.

Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan