Trades. Trades. Trades. Fans can’t get enough of them and the NBA office loves that the league is front and center in sports when rumors and news fly about. And when the New York Knicks are involved, you can be sure that the sports world will be watching very intently.
In the second of our three-part series, we take a look at what the Knicks can offer the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Kevin Durant. Durant isn’t one that the Warriors will give up easily so any team that is interested in acquiring the do-it-all forward will have to make their best offer for GM Bob Myers to even look their way. The Dubs have every intention of winning their third straight championship and are not about to sabotage their chances of accomplishing the rare feat.
If the Knicks are going to be able to pry Durant away from the Warriors, they will have to give their best trade offer with some wiggle room for negotiations. Unlike other teams who may be title contenders immediately upon the consummation of a Durant trade, New York will still be in the process of building a championship team in the near future. But they have a strong foundation with All-Star forward/center Kristaps Porzingis firmly in place.
Durant and Porzingis
Porzingis is the kind of player that Durant would be interested to play with. The 7-foot-3 Latvia native is not an established superstar just yet and he could learn a lot from Durant on how to win in this league. At the same time, one benefit for the 6-foot-9 forward would be that he won’t be accused by fans and critics any longer of joining a championship-ready team.
He does have a chance, however, to rebuild his career and reputation by leading the Knicks to title contention in the near future. A Durant-Porzingis combo could be devastating and one that would be a nightmare for opposing coaches to deal with. Durant would have to wait for Porzingis to come back from the torn ACL injury he suffered last season, however, to see how their partnership develops.
The team would just need one more piece to complete its trio of All-Stars necessary to become a champion.
Durant may also want to express his interest to stay in New York for the next few years if he gets traded to the Knicks. It’s the kind of big market city that he will want to play for. This will give the Knicks more confidence that their decision to give up assets will not be for nothing.
The Trade Pieces
Who could the Knicks offer the Warriors in a trade for the two-time Finals MVP? Here are the players: Tim Hardaway Jr., Kevin Knox, Trey Burke, and Lance Thomas. The key player here is Hardaway. The University of Michigan alum is playing his best season so far, averaging 23.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest, shooting a career-high 36.4 percent from three-point range.
Knox, a 6-foot-9 rookie, has been inconsistent but when he’s good, he shows flashes of what made him a 2018 lottery pick (No. 9 overall). Burke could be another valuable backup point guard for the Warriors, who are currently missing Stephen Curry’s services due to injury. Thomas underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will be out for several weeks. He would be likely to get waived by the Warriors eventually.
Here’s what the lineups would look like after the trade:
Warriors
Starters:
G – Stephen Curry
G – Tim Hardaway Jr.
F – Klay Thompson
F – Draymond Green
C – DeMarcus Cousins
Reserves:
G – Quinn Cook
G – Trey Burke
G – Shaun Livingston
G – Damion Lee
G/F – Andre Iguodala
F – Kevin Knox
F – Lance Thomas
F – Kevon Looney
F/C – Jonas Jerebko
C – Damian Jones
Knicks
G – Frank Ntilikina
G – Courtney Lee
F – Kevin Durant
F – Kristaps Porzingis
C – Enes Kanter
Reserves:
G – Emmanuel Mudiay
G – Allonzo Trier
G – Damyean Dotson
G – Ron Baker
F – Mario Hezonja
F – Noah Vonleh
F – Luke Kornet
F – Jordan Bell
C – Mitchell Robinson
The Knicks' starting front-court looks like a handful for most teams with Enes Kanter playing center. Kanter leads the team in PER while averaging 15.5 points and a career-high 11.7 rebounds a night. It’s not an exaggeration that the Knicks have the makings of one of the best front-courts in league history if Porzingis returns to play like the All-Star he was before his injury last January.
On the Warriors side, the addition of Hardaway, Burke, Thomas, and Knox doesn’t necessarily improve their chances of three-peating with this deal, but their investment on these players could pay off dividends ultimately. In order to sweeten it, the Knicks would have to add a future first or second-rounder. If the Knicks want to get a superstar with the caliber of Durant then they will have to pay a high price. But if they don’t want to give up any draft picks, one more option is to get another team involved in a three-way trade.
As good as Hardaway has been this season, the Warriors’ response to this trade proposal from the Knicks will depend on what they think of Knox’s upside. He could be one of the better rookies in the draft and he could be a bust down the line. It’s way too early to know for sure so this would be a huge gamble for the Warriors if they pull the trigger.
Will They or Won’t They?
The Warriors are not yet done terrorizing the league and they want to continue their reign at the top for the next few years and beyond. Adding Hardaway, Burke, Thomas, and Knox in a deal with the Knicks would be risky given that all of them have never experienced playoff basketball yet. The Warriors are talented enough to overcome Durant’s departure and win another title but chemistry issues could plague them for a couple of months. They also have to factor in the return of DeMarcus Cousins from injury.
A lack of chemistry could cost them the best record in the entire league and that would be even more costly in the Finals if they should match up with the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, or Philadelphia 76ers without home-court advantage.
If the Warriors want to resolve locker room issues by trading Durant, they could afford to risk a trade with the Knicks mostly because Cousins will be back soon. But it’s hard to see them as contenders after this season once Cousins leaves via free agency in the summer of 2019. The Warriors may have better offers on the table from other teams and they would likely explore those before considering the Knicks' offer as a last resort.
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