The Knicks don’t enter free agency on June 30 in the driver’s seat for a union of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. And they don’t enter with the same jubilation that signing Durant will end their woes next season.
When owner James Dolan predicted “a very successful offseason when it comes to free agents,” he had no idea Durant would tear his Achilles tendon and the encroaching Nets would become an off-the-court force after making the playoffs.
The Knicks still believe they are in the hunt for KD and Kyrie, but are aware neither may happen and $72 million in cap space will be used elsewhere. In fact, Durant/Irving could both wind up with the Nets.
The Knicks will also chase newly minted NBA champion Kawhi Leonard. The consensus is they are long shots for his services, with reports he may stay to defend the Raptors’ crown.
The Knicks only have Durant, Irving and Leonard as guys they would be willing to give the max. Point guard Kemba Walker would likely be a max option, but only if he’s coming with Durant and the Warriors star requests the signing.
Meanwhile, Golden State veteran Andre Iguodala — in an appearance on CNBC’s “Crossover” — boldly stated the Warriors will re-sign KD and injured Klay Thompson. Iguodala added, “Nobody’s going to the Knicks, sorry.”
If that is the case, the Knicks have several alternate plans. If they get shut out of the aforementioned superstars, president Steve Mills is fine rolling over the cap space to 2020 and signing savvy veterans to one-year deals to teach their youngsters.
Anthony Davis will be a 2020 free agent and if things unravel with the Lakers and LeBron James doesn’t have it anymore, AD would be a possibility. According to a source, Davis would certainly be interested in the Knicks in 2020 if he’s not re-signing long term in Los Angeles.
The Knicks are considered long shots for Leonard now, but they could be more a factor in 2020 if the Raptors forward signs a two-year deal with an opt out.
That would be a win for the Knicks if Leonard is back in Canada on a short-term deal. Draymond Green is also a free agent in 2020.
Mills has often raised the possibility of using cap space to inherit stars via trade. With players forcing trades in vogue, who is to say Paul George, Russell Westbrook or Damian Lillard won’t decide after the 2019-20 season they want a bigger market than Oklahoma City and Portland, respectively.
According to FS1’s Ric Bucher, Durant and Irving have met twice recently to discuss playing together. That would be either the Nets or Knicks. For much of June, Irving, who rooted for Jason Kidd’s Nets as a kid in West Orange, NJ, has been projected as Brooklyn-bound.
Kendrick Perkins, now with ESPN, once projected the Knicks as favorites for Durant — as many others did.
However, Perkins changed his tune, saying over the weekend the Nets are front-runners, giving no further insight to the change of heart of Durant wanting to play for a club with the NBA’s worst attendance.
Durant has plenty of Knicks ties. Assistant coach Royal Ivey is one of his best friends, free agent DeAndre Jordan is a strong ally and Durant has mentored Allonzo Trier.
Signing Durant without a star companion will cause a giant splash but may not necessarily lead to the promised land. The Knicks are still interested in signing Durant but are cautious about his medical situation and won’t go about it blindly.
The Nets could have an upper hand in gaining knowledge as Durant’s surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley, who is the Nets’ orthopedist. Still, O’Malley was a past Knicks consultant and Mills knows him well.
The new narrative is the Knicks signing Durant, letting him rehab as the club keeps grooming its vast set of young players — the latest being draft pick RJ Barrett.
But vying for another lottery may be a tough sell for Irving, who isn’t looking to waste a season of his prime with the young Knicks.
Tanking the 2019-20 season as Durant rehabs may be the “patience’’ Mills referred to at Barrett’s press conference on Friday.
Durant, who will be 32 when he suits up next in 2020-21, is the risk the Knicks are willing to take. Other alternatives are probably riskier.
The Knicks’ belief is if anyone in the league can come back from an Achilles tear, it is Durant. However, it’s not a no-brainer.
“I wouldn’t do it,’’ one NBA talent evaluator said. “It may look good now, appear they had it right [he was coming] until the injury. But it’s hard to justify all that for maybe one good year. By the fourth year, I can see people wondering when will he come off the cap.”