Phoenix Suns star forward and future Basketball Hall of Famer Kevin Durant may be past his prime, but he’s still a much more dangerous scorer than most players in the NBA today. He can still offer so much, which is also why it makes sense for a team like the New York Knicks to throw their hats in the ring should the Suns put the former league Most Valuable Player on the trade block.
Should the New York Knicks go After Kevin Durant When the Opportunity Presents Itself in the Summer?
According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, Durant can be a worthy trade target for the Knicks, who just got eliminated from the 2024 NBA Playoffs after a testy seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers in the second round. The Suns don’t have many future assets in its front office’s bag, but trading someone like Durant could get Phoenix some building blocks.
A Durant deal might be unlikely, but it’s not at all impossible. And if the four-time scoring champ does make it to the market, expect the Knicks to be all over him, as they were in 2019, when he left the Golden State Warriors and joined the Brooklyn Nets instead.
Durant is one of the easiest to fit stars this league has seen. He offers essentially equal offensive value on or off the ball, since he get his shot off against anyone and absolutely sizzles on catch-and-shoot chances (43.9 percent from three, per NBA.com). He’s also a pliable defender with the right combination of length and instincts to wreak havoc as a help-side shot-blocker.
The Knicks would have wanted to have a younger Kevin Durant, but the Durantula seems he still has a few good years left in him. However, he, of course, won’t come cheap since he is set to earn over $51 million in each of the next two seasons.
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