Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is one of the NBA’s most highly sought after trade targets this offseason, with the New York Knicks in the thick of the fold…or not quite.
SNY’s Ian Begley appeared on ESPN New York’s Bart & Carlin on Monday. Regarding Durant, Begley said he would be “very surprised” to see the former MVP end up in The Big Apple.
“My intel all along has been it’s very unlikely to happen,” Begley said. “I think at the end of the day, getting something to the finish line, I would be very surprised if he ended up here in New York for many different reasons.”
“I would not put a ton of stock into anything you see on Durant and the Knicks at this point,” Begley added.
This serves as the latest chapter in the Durant-Knicks saga as New York looks to make improvements to their roster. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Knicks made an offer to the Suns for Durant at this past season’s trade deadline. The exact details of that offer were not revealed.
The 36-year-old Durant has shown no signs of slowing down. The 15-time All-Star averaged 26.6 points per game this past season, shooting 53% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc, retaining his status as one of the league’s most prolific scorers.
Durant’s history with the Knicks stretches back all the way to 2019 when he opted to sign with the crosstown rival, the Brooklyn Nets, instead of the Knicks. Back then, acquiring Durant would have been the Knicks’ way of exiting a long, grueling rebuild. Today, acquiring Durant would be their way of maximizing a potential title window.
