Kevin Durant is preparing to become very popular once the offseason for the NBA arrives. Until then, speculation continues to swirl about what his free agency plans will be. While the Oklahoma City Thunder would love to retain their franchise star, several teams are lining up to make their pitch. The New York Knicks are one of those teams that would love to get Durant on their roster as the star downplayed interest in the team while in the city.
Knicks fans are starting to believe they stand a real shot at acquiring Durant in free agency. While in town to play the team, Durant spoke with the media and hinted that he likes playing in New York and loves Madison Square Garden.
"They link everybody with New York City,'' Durant said, via the New York Post. "It's one of the greatest cities in the world. It's not a bad thing. It's a great city. Great place to visit, great place to live, I'm sure. But they link everybody, not just me. I spent some nice time up here playing basketball in New York City...Of course I enjoy playing here and the Garden. Every movie you watch, you had a scene playing basketball in the Garden. Everything reverts back to being in the Garden, whether [it's] musicians, basketball players. To play here is just a blessing.''
So you're saying there's a chance? The Knicks are hopeful that the star power for Carmelo Anthony and the rising star in Kristaps Porzingis are enough to entice Durant to come to the team. Right now, they are focused on becoming a playoff team. Trade rumors continue to circle around the Knicks as Ian Begley of ESPN.com reports Jeff Teague, Brandon Jennings and Jamal Crawford have come up in conversations. The Knicks are limited in what they can give up in a trade which means the team might be forced to stay put at the deadline.
While trades are an option, the biggest issue for the Knicks is health. Anthony continues to deal with a knee issue that is keeping him off the court. Jose Calderon has a groin injury. That means two starters are out for New York right now while their depth is limited. Guard Arron Afflalo told the media that he fully believes the Knicks are a playoff team, but injuries will be what prevents them from getting there.
"We knew with Melo [out], we'd have some guys picking up the slack. We knew the bench in general had to pick up the energy," said Langston Galloway, via the New York Post. "That's what we just tried to do, is come off the bench and pick up a lot of energy and bring passion and play hard. We were trying to just trying to go out and be as aggressive as possible. ... When we get opportunities, we need to capitalize on them."
The health of Anthony will be the x-factor to the playoffs, not a trade at the deadline. If the Knicks can get healthy and gain more chemistry, they might be a contender in the Eastern Conference come the postseason.
