Another wrinkle has been added to the whirlwind of rumors surrounding Warriors forward Kevin Durant concerning what his relationship with the Knicks is now or what it could become over the summer.
After being rumored to be the favorites to land Durant in free agency, the Knicks bet on themselves by moving star forward Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline in an effort to create not one, but two, max slots to attract free agents this summer. The assumption, of course, is that the Knicks believe they’ll need to bring in someone else to lure Durant away from the Warriors.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe via his podcast, the move was made easier by the fact that Porzingis wasn’t exactly excited about the prospect of playing with Durant — or any guy who would become the face of the franchise if brought in.
“I’m confident after talking to a lot of people, I don’t think he was psyched about playing with Durant.”
For the Knicks, trading away Porzingis is a no-brainer if it means they land one of the three best players in the NBA. However, it’s a huge gamble considering Durant is one of the hardest players to read in the NBA. Also, the move created a media storm that has pestered Durant with even more questions about his postseason plans.
The move is either going to be seen as genius or another flop in a long line of bad moves by Knicks management. As for Porzingis, if that’s how he really felt, it’ll be interesting to see how he feels about playing in Dallas alongside Luka Doncic, a player who the city is already in love with.
Take this all with a grain of salt, though. This isn’t an official report, just speculation from Lowe — who is one of the most trusted media members in the NBA right now.
