NBA Rumors: Knicks Prepare Space For Giannis After Striking Out On Kevin Durant

The New York Knicks have failed to acquire Kevin Durant this summer, but the team may be looking at Giannis Antetokounmpo to be their next superstar.

Mutiple teams are patiently waiting for the year 2021 -- the year when the Greek Freak will finally get the freedom to decide whether he will stay with the Milwaukee Bucks or sign to a different team.

One of the teams who has just revealed its interest in Giannis is the New York Knicks, which just recently missed out on signing top free agent Kevin Durant. Sources claimed that the Knicks were not willing to offer KD a max deal due to the fact that the former MVP will never be the same player again, even after recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.

Knicks president Steve Mills had opted to just settle for Tier 2-3 free agents and one or two-year guaranteed deals since the team will no longer have KD this summer. The reason why New York did not want to give a fully-guaranteed third player is that the team doesn’t not want to jeopardize the flexibility they could have by 2021, the year when Giannis will officially become a free agent, according to New York Post.

It appears that the Knicks also had strong hopes for landing Kawhi Leonard, but with what the team is planning to do at this point, it seems like New York is starting to lose hope in signing the Raptors star, Fadeaway World noted.

“If the Knicks whiff on Durant and Leonard, they will use their cap space for one- and two-year deals, pending the player, according to sources. That is partly to keep cap flexibility for 2021 when Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes a free agent,” The Post’s Brian Lewis said.

The Knicks may have seen a different scenario with Durant, which had led them to not offer the superstar a max deal. But most league sources see that the only reason why NY did not push hard for KD is that they do not want to gamble too much for Durant, especially with the reputation of the injury he has sustained. It is safe to say that the Knicks would rather wait for the perfect time than take the big risk now.

This offseason has really been tough for teams aspiring to land a big name from the free agency market. As for the Knicks, since they are starting to show some patience, the Greek Freak can be their prize in the future.