The New York Knicks, after losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers, have been linked to Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, on Thursday, ESPN insider Shams Charania reported that the Knicks tried to add Durant in the middle of the season.
While any blockbuster move in the summer would likely feature Karl-Anthony Towns, a midseason trade, it would seem, would have included Mikal Bridges, who took some time to find his footing in New York.
However, one reporter thinks he knows what the Knicks would have offered.
Kevin Durant
Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant.
© Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Before the Suns traded for Nick Richards, adding a rebounder and shot blocker was priority number one. By then, the Suns likely would have known that their trio of Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker was ill-fated, so losing Durant in a trade for a defensive-minded center would not have been the end of the world.
The Knicks could have offered OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, who was injured at the time, for Durant.
Ignoring injuries, a roster of Robinson, Anunoby, Beal, Booker, and Tyus Jones would likely have been enough to compete for a playoff spot, although the Suns would have still faced a depth issue.
The Knicks, meanwhile, would have started Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Bridges, Towns, and Durant, likely still making it to the Conference Finals even without Robinson's postseason contributions.
This summer, the Knicks will have to compete with the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Minnesota Timberwolves to add KD if that's still the direction that they want to go.
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