Knicks Rumors: Kevin Durant Considering Nets, Potentially Making New York's 2019 Summer A Disaster

Nothing has gone right for the New York Knicks this offseason. The team had designs of acquiring two or even three stars in the summer, and it’s starting to look like they might strike out completely.

Having the best odds in the 2019 NBA Draft lottery didn’t help the Knicks win the No.1 overall pick, causing them to miss out on a sure-fire star in Zion Williamson. The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Anthony Davis, taking another star off the board.

With free agency set to officially start Sunday night, all indications are that Kyrie Irving is set on joining the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant will consider Brooklyn after declining his player option for next year, and the Nets have arguably become the favorites to sign both All-Stars.

If Irving and Durant pair up in Brooklyn, the offseason will be an unmitigated disaster for the Knicks.

Faced with the reality that they might not add one superstar to the roster, New York is preaching patience. The Knicks are preparing to use their nearly $70 million in cap space on lesser players that will sign short-term contracts in the event that Irving, Durant and Kawhi Leonard sign elsewhere.

That’s probably the right approach in terms of the team’s long-term future. Giving max contracts to players like Tobias Harris and Khris Middleton without having a legitimate superstar on board would all but guarantee that the Knicks won’t compete for a championship during the lifetime of those contracts.

It doesn’t change the fact not signing a free agent that can potentially be the No.1 player on a title contender—specifically Durant—would be an abject failure.

The Knicks didn’t simply trade an overpaid player in order to create the salary cap necessary to sign two free agents to max contracts. That’s what the Nets did when they sent Allen Crabbe and a pair of first-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks.

New York gave up Kristaps Porzingis, a potential top-10 NBA player, so they could sign both Durant and Irving. Couple that with comments made by owner James Dolan and the Knicks were basically telling everyone that they believed a commitment from Durant was nothing short of a virtual guarantee.

“New York is the mecca of basketball. We hear from people all the time, from players, from representatives, about who wants to come,” Dolan said on “The Michael Kay Show” in March, just a few weeks after the Knicks unloaded Porzingis and a few bad contracts in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr. and future draft picks.

“We can’t respond because of the NBA rules, etc. But that doesn’t stop them from telling us, and they do. I can tell you, from what we’ve heard, I think we’re going to have a very successful offseason when it comes to free agents.”

Through their actions and the words of the owner, the Knicks not-so-subtly told their fans to expect a championship-caliber team next year.

Of course, the Knicks couldn’t have foreseen Durant rupturing his Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The injury certainly threw a wrench in New York’s plans, all but eliminating the possibility that the Knicks could make a run to the 2020 NBA Finals, even if they sign Durant.

Maybe the Knicks would’ve made a harder push to trade for Davis if Durant was healthy, though they probably couldn’t have bested the Lakers’ offer. There’s speculation that Durant is now more likely to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors because he can rehab with a team he knows and earn an extra $57 million guaranteed after suffering a potentially career-altering injury.

The Knicks don’t necessarily need Irving to lure Durant, despite reports that the two are determined to play together. There are rumors that Durant’s decision doesn’t hinge on what Irving does, and some insiders still think he’ll choose to play at Madison Square Garden.

Acquiring Durant and Kemba Walker instead of Durant and Irving would be a more than suitable Plan B. Splitting up their second max slot between a couple of impactful players could help build a contender around Durant.

The Knicks have high hopes for No.3 overall pick R.J. Barrett. Mitchell Robinson showed a ton of upside as a defensive presence last season. Kevin Knox still has potential, even after a bad rookie season.

Durant likely won’t play at all next season. If Irving goes to Brooklyn, Durant can sign with the Knicks and wait a year for New York to build a great team.

So many people, from reporters to members of the Warriors, had been expecting Durant to join the Knicks for months. New York might very well be about to sign one of the greatest players of all time, albeit one that’s about to sit for a year.

But the noise about Irving and Durant teaming up in Brooklyn is starting to grow louder. The Knicks will be mocked endlessly if that becomes a reality, and the organization will have earned every bit of it.