Reggie Miller, John Starks
(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

New York Knicks fans are already penciling in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving into the starting lineup, but Reggie Miller is more skeptical.

New York Knicks fans and Reggie Miller have a checkered history. Miller was public enemy No. 1 for Knicks fans during the ’90s, but now he has some advice for the organization he once tormented.

“The key is going to be, when you have all this money, is giving it to the right players,” Miller said on a TNT conference call Tuesday via Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Miller is obviously referring to the Knicks’ plan to pursue two superstars in free agency this summer. Obviously, the Knicks are in an enviable position in terms of cap space, but they are also in a risky spot if they can’t convince the right players to sign on the dotted line.

“There are a couple of free agents out there that if you give them the max money, I am not sure it solves your problem. In a perfect world it is KD [Kevin Durant], Kyrie [Irving]. Personally, I don’t see it happening, but I could be absolutely wrong. If they don’t give those contracts to the right players, it could hamstring this team going further.”

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are the two main targets for New York. Miller also discusses some of the media issues that will follow Durant and Irving. But it’s clear that if New York can sign either (or both), it’s worth the risk.

Pushing all their chips to the middle of the table this summer is a risk in itself. As Miller points out, giving the money to the right players is crucial for the Knicks. If they whiff on Durant and Irving would they settle for a player like Tobias Harris or Khris Middleton? That would feel like a significant letdown for the fan base and it could set New York’s rebuild back years.

Only time will tell if Miller is correct. But there’s one thing that’s certain: The upcoming summer is shaping up to be the most important summer in a long time.

 
NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.