Kevin Durant’s unfortunate Achilles injury changes his free agency, but the New York Knicks could still be interested in the superstar.
The New York Knicks have been building towards the summer of 2019 for years. The prime target has always been Kevin Durant.
His ruptured Achilles tendon complicates the future, but according to Ian Begley of SNY, there is a still a push within the Knicks organization to pursue Durant.
“We’ll find out in a few weeks, but there are indeed some members of the organization who would consider offering Durant a contract this summer, per SNY sources,” Begley wrote.
The risk of signing a player after this type of injury goes without saying. DeMarcus Cousins was a top-15 player in the NBA before tearing his Achilles. He ended up signing with Durant and the Golden State Warriors after failing to attract any type of interest on the free agent market. Obviously, Durant is a far better player than Cousins so it’s not the perfect comparison.
In theory, the Knicks could sign Durant to a max contract and let the rest of the chips fall where they may. On one hand, they could heavily pursue a second star like Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker. In this scenario, they could compete for a playoff spot in 2020 with championship aspirations for the following season when Durant returns.
However, if they whiff on a second star, they can use Durant’s redshirt year as a development year for the young core. Not to mention, they would have another lottery pick to add to their stash of young players.
The free agent waters are still murky but the Knicks are still considering casting their line for Durant.
