Kevin Durant has not yet decided whether he’ll actually take face-to-face meetings with teams when he becomes a free agent on Sunday, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic (via Twitter). But if he does line up meetings with suitors, those discussions will take place in New York, a source tells Aldridge. That’s where Durant underwent his Achilles surgery earlier this month.
The Knicks, long considered one of Durant’s prime suitors, are hoping to get an audience with Durant in New York early in free agency, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. The Knicks’ plan would be to subsequently head west to Los Angeles to meet with Kawhi Leonard. However, neither meeting is set in stone yet.
Here’s more on Durant:
- Despite increased rumblings that the Nets are in the lead for Durant, Ian Begley of SNY.tv says that’s not the case. Sources tell Begley that the Nets aren’t the frontrunners or favorites for Durant at the moment. Only Durant and those close to him know if he favors one team over the others at this point, according to Begley, who notes that the Warriors, Knicks, and Clippers are all still believed to be in contention.
- The Warriors, who have stayed in contact with KD and business partner Rich Kleiman since the season ended, are prepared to offer Durant a five-year maximum-salary contract worth a projected $221MM, per Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. But if Durant says he wants to go elsewhere, Golden State is hoping he’ll work with the team on a sign-and-trade deal.
- When Windhorst first mentioned the sign-and-trade possibility earlier this week, I wrote that such an arrangement would make little sense for Durant’s new team, since the Nets, Knicks, and Clippers all have enough cap room to sign him outright. In his latest report for ESPN.com, Windhorst acknowledges that the Warriors might have to include an asset like a first-round pick to incentivize KD’s new team to work with them. That’s a scenario the Dubs have prepared for, according to Windhorst, since creating a massive trade exception via a Durant sign-and-trade would open up Golden State’s roster options significantly.
I don’t think the Warriors would have to send a draft pick as incentive for the sign-and-trade. Wouldn’t Durant demand of the new team do the sign-and-trade so he gets his 221 million?
He can’t get the $221MM unless he stays with the Warriors. A sign-and-trade would give him the same years/money as signing outright with a new team.
Is that because they would have to wait a year to trade him, or are you saying the sign and trade would be signing with the Warriors for 4 years and then trading to another team? The reason I ask if because there were rumblings and concerns by the Warriors about not wanting it to seem like they were trying to manipulate the cap system by doing a sign and trade. If the 5th year wasn’t possible, then why would there be any concern?
You’re conflating two separate concepts, I think. The standard sign-and-trade, discussed in this post, would limit Durant to a four-year contract.
There were rumors that the Warriors might consider a “delayed” sign-and-trade (which isn’t actually a real thing), where they re-sign him to a five-year contract this summer and then trade him down the road (a trade wouldn’t be able to happen until at least the winter). That might be viewed as cap circumvention though if the league believes there’s a wink-wink agreement ahead of time between Durant, the Warriors, and another team.
I don’t get the sense that the latter concept is something being seriously considered right now.
Yes right. The warriors would let Durant rehab while on the Warriors payroll. Kind of payback or a thank you. Then trade him as a healthy player next summer and at least get something back for him.
This should be very interesting. The new York Knicks are going to try to convince the last two NBA finals MVPs to leave their current team for a team that just finished 17-65. As in the words of Jerry Seinfeld “oh, I like this plan“ I understand they have to try something but if they are actually able to convince Leonard and Durrant or one of the two on the concept of playing for the new York Knicks obviously this is a money strategy. The only reason these two would ever entertain the idea of playing there is for maximizing their money in commercials, huge deals and giant billboards.
If they want KD they may have to do a sign and trade if he wants a max contract.
Can’t do max (5 year on sign and trade). Only if stays with Warriors. Or else a sign/trade can only be four years. There was a mention the Warriors MAY give him a wink wink deal where they sign him for five, he sits this year and then they trade him next offseason. But doubt that happens
Somebody is gonna regret giving him a max deal.i know he’s probably one of the top 15-20 players in league history, but considering the injury I don’t think he will be anything close to the player he was.
History agrees with you. He’ll be VERY good but he won’t have the same spring to his step or agility.
Imo, if he’s 90% of his former self, that’s still as good as the rest of the players in the league receiving the $200+ mil max.
I think he’ll be close to the player he was. The difference is he does not rely on athleticism as much as he does his height. He’s a small forward who seven-foot-tall tall and can shoot the three. That’ll work every day of the week and twice on Sunday. He’ll be a more agile Dirk Nowitzki.
A S&T to create the mother of all TPEs is of no benefit to the signing team or Durant, and of categorical benefit to GS. It may be a season saver, and/or have benefits beyond that. It would be hard for them to use the TPE (or a lot of it) in a S&T because of the apron limitation/hard cap. But they’d be situated to acquire a max player in a standard trade without matching contracts or fill out their roster with high end roll players.
A 1st round pick might be sufficient for the Nets or Knicks, or another Eastern team, but would the Clips (or another team in the West) really want to help GS in such a categorical way for what is likely (particularly with the TPE) to be a very low 1st ?
The Knicks will sign nobody. This team has nothing to offer except dysfunction, sky high taxes & a tradition of loosing. Nobody cares about MSG. Nobody has one there since 1994 and the Knicks haven’t won since 73. It’s a boxing arena. The Knicks will ovepay for plan B free agents
So…this Knicks will sign nobody when they sign plan B free agents…got it.
Blast from the past… The NFL used to have a “plan B” FA category. There was no plan A or C free agency. It was as funny as it sounds. “B”-level players made out.