Report: Kevin Durant's teammates think he'll sign with Knicks this summer
The New York Knicks are looking to right the ship after a 17-65 season, the offshoring of its biggest names and the constant dysfunction that hoovers at Madison Square Garden.
Fortunately the team has a projected league-high cap space of $74 million.
As one anonymous Western Conference executive told ESPN, "If we're ranking teams heading into the offseason, New York probably has the best tools in the tool shed.”
Its plan to use it on one of the league’s most sought-after free agents, Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant, is reportedly all but a done deal.
Report: Durant’s teammates think he’ll go to Knicks
Those close to Durant believe he’ll sign with the Knicks, according to an ESPN report by Ian Begley detailing how the team may play the draft.
"Some of Durant's former teammates think it's going to happen, per ESPN sources. Several of his current teammates have told friends that they think it's going to happen, sources said. Opposing agents believe it's a fait accompli: ‘Just a matter of putting pen to paper,’ is how one agent of another top free agent in the 2019 free agent class put it."
Durant, 30, has faced free agency questions all season and swiftly shot them all down, telling reporters to focus on the game not what goes on behind it.
On its face the Knicks seem like an odd choice since he could keep playing for championships every year with Warriors or jump to another team poised for an immediate title. And his beef with the media won’t go down well in New York City.
One executive told ESPN moving to New York and creating a title-winning team would push aside the narrative he joined Golden State simply to win rings. To do that, he’d need help
Report: Irving will join Durant in New York
Executives told ESPN they expect Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving to join Durant and the Knicks. The two were seen talking at All-Star weekend, creating a fire storm of speculation, and have reportedly stayed in touch.
Irving, 27, is in his own media rumor mill. In a late March report about the Knicks’ potential run at the Celtics star, sources stated their belief he actually preferred the Brooklyn Nets over the Knicks. Executives called it a “better fit.”
Then there are reports he’ll visit with the Los Angeles Lakers. And don’t forget he’s “engaged” to the Celtics.
Knicks hope to get it right
Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill wrote in January, after the Knicks proved they were all-in for summer by trading Kristaps Porzingis, the team wanted to make the “perfect swing” this offseason.
While they’d like to lure Durant and Irving into the fold, Ben Rohrbach noted that’s not how the Knicks historically do things. And the talk executives dole out mean little without ensuing action. An email to the fan base, irate after another lowly season and only one playoff series win in nearly two decades, insisted this summer would be different. Hopefully for Knicks fans it is.
More from Yahoo Sports:
