After weeks of speculation, the Phoenix Suns have finally traded Kevin Durant for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in the upcoming draft, and five second-round picks. Obviously, there is a lot of discussion about what this means for the two teams, as well as the conference in which they both compete. But how, if at all, does this impact the Knicks, their off-season, and their future?
They aren’t getting Kevin Durant
The first clear result of the blockbuster trade is that the Knicks are now no longer getting Durant. It has been rumored, to varying degrees, that New York was interested and has had discussions about trading for the future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Earlier this month, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the Knicks made a big offer for Durant during this past trade deadline.
There were also reports from Marc Spears of ESPN that New York was Durant’s preferred destination. But as the summer progressed, it became clear that regardless of what their initial level of intrigue was, the Knicks decided to go another way.
But given the nature of trades, especially with the Knicks’ current front office, it’s hard to fully count them out of anything until that said thing becomes impossible. So, even with New York seemingly losing interest, there was always going to be a long shot what-if. Now with Durant finally traded though, all of those rumors can be finally put to rest, and they, as well as the fans, can move on with the rest of the offseason.
Is there a world where the Knicks can acquire, or at least, inquire about Green or Brooks?
It feels like we’ve said this every offseason for four or five years now, but this may be one of the franchise’s most important summers ever. They were just two games away from beating a team that made it to game seven of the NBA Finals. With a new coach on the way and a chance to restructure the roster, what they do this offseason could be the difference maker in if they can be the ones to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy in 12 months.
Part of those summer plans will likely include Leon Rose and his team doing exactly what they did to start their coaching search: call everyone, do their due diligence, and ask about their best asset’s availability. The Suns are now in an awkward spot where they still have an All-NBA level star in Devin Booker to build around. But they also aren’t good enough right now to contend. This makes them a hard book to read, but there’s a possibility that they are willing to part ways with and reroute Jalen Green and or Dillon Brooks.
If that were to be the case, would, and better yet, should the Knicks even be interested? Green still has a lot of upside, and we’ve seen flashes of greatness from him over the last few seasons. But at the end of the day, that’s all they’ve been-flashes. We’ve yet to see him put together a full season of greatness, and we just saw him clearly look out of sorts during the playoffs besides his one good game.
And Brooks? Well, he’s a polarizing figure, but his improved shooting and defense would instantly boost the Knicks’ floor, and ceiling. But if the Suns were to make him available, New York would have an immense amount of competition, as every other contending team would at least be interested.
Could the Rockets be a trade partner with their championship window now more narrow than ever?
Houston is now in a win-now mode. They made huge strides this past season and were a very good team, but it was clear that they were a piece away. And because of that, they, even with an aging starting point guard in Fred VanVleet, felt like a team whose real window was in a few years. But you don’t trade away a 23-year-old starting guard for a 36-year-old forward to win in a few years. You do it to win right now.
That means they may now be open to trades that they weren’t really interested in before. Could they look to trade some of their younger players for more proven, and ready players? Would they be interested in parting ways with some of their depth pieces for some veterans? Can they be used as a third team to help other teams facilitate deals?
All of this could and should be on the table. And there’s a way the Knicks could potentially get in on the action themselves. Guys like Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Jae’sean Tate, and Cam Whitmore, who Houston seems to like, but could also be available, are all guys that would help the Knicks. It may be a long shot, but New York should at least try and ask about the possibility that they can get something done, even if it means bringing in a third team.
Can the Knicks get involved elsewhere?
While New York likely won’t go big-name fishing this summer, other teams may still be looking to answer the recent Desmond Bane and Durant deals to better compete with the Rockets, and or the Magic. If that is the case, the Knicks could find a way to enter the conversation as a third team and get something out of it by helping to facilitate such a trade.
New trade market?
Whenever a player of Durant’s stature is traded, you have to ask yourselves a few questions. We’ve briefly covered a lot of the big questions above, like how it impacts the teams involved, what it means for the teams that were rumored to be interested in said player, and who may or may not be available for trades given the new directions of the teams. Another very important question to think about after a trade of this magnitude is, “How does it impact the trade market?” We saw many fans and analysts wonder the same thing after the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades a few years ago. And we saw the same discussions after the Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges just last year.
This trade is a very interesting one though, because there really is nobody like Durant right now outside of maybe LeBron James and Steph Curry. Durant, like those guys, still put up incredible numbers. And it’s clear that they are still very good. The Suns struggled all season, looked clueless, and were unfun to watch, but Durant did still manage to average 26.6PPG, 6.4RPG, 4.2APG, 1.2BPG, and 0.8BPG while shooting 52.7% from the field, 43% from three, and 83.9% from the free-throw line despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.
That being said, he will turn 37 before the season begins and is coming off a season in which he played just 62 games. In fact, Durant has played in more than 70 games in just three of his last 10 seasons. That, along with the very public fact that the Suns and Durant were ready to part ways, gave Phoenix very little leverage.
That makes it very difficult to gauge if this moves the trade market at all. Does it mean that stars can now be attainable without having to attach multiple first-round picks? Are teams who are in positions like the Suns (of which there aren’t many) prioritizing upside players like Green again? Or was this just the latest screw-up from a Suns front office that may be in the midst of a generationally bad run over the last few years?
It’s hard to tell right now because, at the end of the day, it isn’t some tangible thing. Trade markets are very fluid and impacted by supply and demand, the teams involved, and there are always human elements that come into play as well. Players with Durant’s talent, resume, and name power don’t get traded often, so it could be a one-off. But in the rare case that the Knicks do still end up trying to go after a big name like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker, or Jaren Jackson Jr., it may be worthwhile to keep this trade in the back of your mind.