How Kristaps Porzingis trade impacts Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are trying to win a championship and convince Kevin Durant to stay. How could the New York Knicks trading Kristaps Porzingis impact their recruitment?
The Golden State Warriors are chasing history. With three championships in four years, they have their eyes on a three-peat, an achievement that would definitively cement this stretch as one of the greatest ever, alongside Michael Jordan‘s Chicago Bulls and Shaquille O’Neal‘s Los Angeles Lakers.
As if winning a title isn’t hard enough, the Warriors are also dealing with Kevin Durant‘s impending free agency. The two-time Finals MVP is set to hit the market this summer and the future is more uncertain than it had been after the two previous seasons. After, both, the 2017 Finals and the 2018 Finals, it was a foregone conclusion that he would return to the Bay Area.
This season has felt different, even for those within the organization. Draymond Green‘s November explosion aired out a lot of frustrations regarding Durant’s situation that many kept private. And though they have moved past that incident, it’s hard to imagine that their resolution quelled any uneasiness about the future.
Re-drafting the Warriors' last 3 first-round picks. light. Must Read
One of the teams that Durant’s wandering eye has reportedly landed on is the New York Knicks. The allure of playing in a market like the Big Apple and putting on a show in the historic Madison Square Garden has, apparently, piqued the superstar’s interest. A recent development, though, could impact Durant and the Warriors’ recruitment efforts.
The Knicks have traded star Kristaps Porzingis (along with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee) to the Dallas Mavericks for Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan. It’s a trade that surprised everyone given how quickly the Knicks moved after Porzingis’ apparent trade request.
Here’s how the trade doesn’t bode well for Golden State. The Knicks are going to go after Durant hard in the summer, and by trading away big contracts in exchange for two expiring deals in Smith Jr. and Jordan, they are making space to throw a max at him. Additionally, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst notes, they can create two max slots, one for Durant and another for a secondary star like Kyrie Irving.
The Knicks are on way toward creating 2 max salary slots for next summer. When today started they didn’t even have space for 1. They are preparing to swing big.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) January 31, 2019
Trading away a franchise player like Porzingis could signal that the Knicks have some level of confidence that they will be the winners in the Durant sweepstakes. If Durant were to sign with New York, that would make the Knicks one of the more enticing destinations for premier players, like Irving or, even, Anthony Davis the following summer and that second max slot can land one.
That’s the bad news for the Warriors. But it gets better.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
The Knicks’ recruitment pitch is centered around potential. There’s nothing in place right now and a lot would have to go right for Durant to have a winner around him in New York. And, given how they’ve fared, there’s no guarantee they’d handle it correctly.
Owner James Dolan’s Knicks are a poorly run organization. From top to bottom, the Knicks are the Warriors’ antithesis. The instability and comical incompetence that the franchise has displayed at nearly every level is a red flag for free agents.
Porzingis completely embraced New York and, yet, he still requested a trade after the organization failed to put a strong roster around him. The Unicorn seemed to love the city and the team and it still wasn’t enough to keep him there. That should be a sign for anyone looking at the Knicks as a future home.
Durant seems to be a player that values winning and stability, two things the Knicks are not known for. It’s unlikely that location alone is enough to land a player who already enjoys the business opportunities and cultural experience of the Bay Area.
When the Warriors go into their meeting with Durant on July 1, they probably won’t talk about why the Knicks (or any other team) are bad for him. All they need to do is place the Larry O’Brien trophies and Stephen Curry‘s long-term commitment in front of him, showing that the pieces are in place for him to go down as one of the game’s greatest winners ever.
Still, it’s something that everyone will be monitoring. The way the Knicks have fumbled the only franchise-changing talent they drafted in decades should mean more than the potential of two max contracts.
Next. Impact of three potential Anthony Davis trades. dark
Ultimately, no one other than Durant knows exactly what motivates or interests him, but it’s hard to say, objectively, the Knicks are better from a basketball or business standpoint than the Warriors.