There has been a lot made about Kevin Durant’s impending free agency and the supposed connection to the New York Knicks. Just about everyone who is connected in any way to either Durant or the Knicks has assumed that the Knicks were the front runners to land the All-Star forward this summer.
The Knicks traded away Kristaps Porzingis in an effort to clear enough cap space to create two max slots this summer, and it appears that the franchise is willing to do whatever it takes to bring in Durant and possibly Kyrie Irving to turn the team around this summer. How far are they willing to go? According to Brandon Robinson, an unnamed source said that the Knicks and Durant had a secret meeting this January when the Warriors traveled to New York.
“Learned from an east coast entertainment and media connection that the Knicks were straight-up communicating with KD earlier this season,” a league source told me by text message.
“As in meeting up with KD…It could’ve been when the Warriors were on an East coast trip, or maybe when the Knicks visited the Bay Area.”
This news hasn’t been corroborated by anyone else yet, but if this is true, it’s not a good look for either party. When the Lakers were caught tampering with Paul George, they were hit with a lofty $500,000 fine. If the Knicks are meeting with players in person, that’s much worse than what the Lakers were caught doing, and if the league finds the Knicks responsible for what transpired, the fines could be even bigger.
The trade, billboards up in New York earlier this season and now with the alleged secret meeting, it appears as if the Knicks will try to bring in Durant at any cost. This is a story to keep a very close eye on to see if any more information surfaces.
