With Kyrie Irving seeming primed to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Knicks' longstanding dream of signing both Irving and Kevin Durant in free agency this summer appears to be dying.
Of course, Durant's torn Achilles alone was a major hit, as it means that even if the Knicks sign Durant, they won't have him until the 2020-21 campaign, but that probably won't stop them from pursuing him.
The question is, which secondary star should New York go after to bring in with Durant?
Well, how about Khris Middleton? Middleton seems to want to re-sign with the Milwaukee Bucks, but let's say that things don't work out on that front. Should the Knicks pursue him?
Obviously, Middleton does not carry the cachet of Irving, and he does not put rear ends in seats like Irving does, but he is still a really good player who just played a huge role in leading the Bucks to a league-best 60 wins.
Now, whether or not Middleton can be the second-best player on a title contender is debatable. Personally, I feel he is a tertiary star, and that when he is a No. 2, he can get exposed. Heck, the biggest reason why the Bucks lost to the Toronto Raptors was because they didn't have enough individual talent.
But if you have Durant (a healthy Durant, that is) and enough other good pieces on the roster, you might be able to get away with Middleton being a secondary option, especially if you have a similar talent as your No. 3.
Taking that into consideration, this wouldn't be a bad route for the Knicks to take.
Clearly, it's not the preferred option, but Irving's apparent desire to head to Brooklyn coupled with Durant's injury (not to mention New York's poor lottery luck) has thrown a gigantic wrench into the Knicks' offseason plans, and they need to somehow pivot.
So, let's say New York signs Durant (which seems far from a guarantee at this point). What, then, should the Knicks do next?
There will be plenty of other available free agents. Kemba Walker. Jimmy Butler. Nikola Vucevic. Tobias Harris.
The problem is, with Durant set to miss all of next season, New York is not nearly as appealing of a destination for 2020, as the Knicks are not going to be very good, and we don't even know how Durant will recover heading into 2021.
Because of that, other free agents might spurn the Knicks, which will limit their options.
For example, it's now hard to see someone like Walker or Butler heading to New York, which may force the Knicks to turn to B-tier free agents like Middleton.
Let's be clear here, though: the only way New York should even consider pursuing Middleton is if it signs Durant. If the Knicks don't land Durant, then Middleton should not even be on their radar.
New York will be walking a tightrope this summer, a summer that was supposed to be the offseason in which the Knicks finally became relevant again. And not like in 2013 when they lucked their way into 54 wins and then never made the playoffs again. I mean “relevant” as in becoming a perennial contender.
But now, everything has changed, and New York has gone from envisioning championship parades with Durant and Irving at the forefront to wondering if signing Durant is even worth it.
The fact that we are even discussing Middleton as an option is a sobering reality, but in a world where a Durant-Irving duo doesn't seem possible any longer, Durant and Middleton may be the next best thing.
At the very least, the Knicks would have a couple of really long, rangy defenders who can stroke the 3-ball with the best of them.
That is, of course, assuming Durant can ever regain his old form, which is the biggest question in all of this.
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