NBA Rumors: 'Delayed' Sign And Trade Deal Could See Durant Head To Knicks

The future of Kevin Durant remains murky although the consensus is that he will likely end up staying with the Golden State Warriors. The only question now is how much will the Dubs hand the former NBA MVP and the length of tenure. The word out right now is that the Warriors are likely to offer him a five-year max contract so that they have a lock on the 30-year-old star.

After Durant's season ended abruptly with a ruptured Achilles, links to several teams have gone sour. This includes murmurs of seeing KD possibly moving to the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks - teams where he could possibly be joined by Kyrie Irving. Incidentally, the unfortunate fate of the second overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft has also affected Uncle Drew with the Nets expected to revisit the planned acquisition. Much of this was covered in a previous post.

As for Durant, being given a five-year deal does not necessarily mean he will be with the Dubs forever. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, re-signing KD would be part of a possible "delayed" sign and trade deal. He suggested that while the Warriors could initially take care of Durant and see him work his way back to shape, the deal could be leverage for the Dubs moving forward. That includes possibly seeing that move to the Knicks happen in the succeeding years.

Obviously, the Warriors may try to get as much as they can before letting Durant go. It is the business part of the game that most are aware of although at least one person believes it still depends on what the two-time NBA champion will decide on. Jay Williams, a close friend of Durant, says that while the scenario is feasible, he does not believe KD would rehab with the Warriors, NBC Sports reported.

Another potential scenario is to see Durant sign a shorter term deal with big money with the Dubs. Being an instrumental piece in the Warriors' back-to-back NBA title runs, he could be handed a two or three-year deal instead. With the two-time NBA Finals MVP expected to miss the 2019-20 NBA season, the first year could be a bonus of sorts, allowing him to recuperate and hopefully bounce back stronger than ever. If not the Warriors, some other team could come in and take the risk. Golden State took that chance with DeMarcus Cousins so the same could happen to the 10-time NBA All-Star.