The New York Knicks came just two wins away from their first NBA Finals berth this century. They were so close, yet they somehow seem so far away. During their run, they were 10-8 with an uninspiring minus-0.5 net rating. Their path to the Eastern Conference Finals included a narrow series victory over the Detroit Pistons and a questionable one against the defending champion Boston Celtics, which featured some shooting variance and a devastating injury to Jayson Tatum.
This was all before a series against the Indiana Pacers which put their biggest weakness — their two best players, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, are poor defenders — front and center for the world to see.
The Knicks responded to this loss by parting ways with head coach Tom Thibodeau, and now, it seems like they’re gearing up to make yet another major offseason trade.
One of the names heavily connected to the Knicks is Kevin Durant. However, the Knicks should really reconsider their interest in the 11-time All-NBA forward.
Super Teams Don’t Work Anymore
It’s not that Durant, fresh off a season averaging 26.6 points on 64.2 percent true shooting, isn’t still a high-level player. Rather, it is more about what the team would likely have to give up to get Durant.
Given the Knicks’ and Phoenix Suns’ current cap situations, any trade for Durant would likely have to include Towns or OG Anunoby. The problem is the Suns are currently not interested in netting Towns for Durant.
To many, this wouldn’t seem like much of an issue at all. Why wouldn’t a team want to keep Towns and form a super team with him, Brunson and Durant?
But such analysis has become outdated in today’s financial landscape. As we’ve learned with recent case studies like Durant’s current employer, the three-star model no longer works. To win in the modern NBA, a team needs a balanced roster which can excel on both sides of the ball and handle multiple styles of combat.
Durant, Brunson and Towns is a formidable offensive trio. But given Brunson and Towns’ limitations, and Durant’s advanced NBA age (he’ll be 37 at the start of next season), they’ll be putting a lot of pressure on the other two guys sharing the floor with them to carry their defense.
Mitchell Robinson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Miles McBride are all positives defensively, but none have the versatility to make up for the hypothetical loss of Anunoby.
OG Anunoby has elevated his game this season…
Scoring at a career high volume and efficiency so far. His defense is EVERYTHING it's cracked up to be, extremely physical, disruptive, and versatile. Such a perfect player for this situation. https://t.co/bl9FPaIWCK pic.twitter.com/AAqUM8hxgn
— NBA University (@NBA_University) November 26, 2024
Besides, offense was not the problem for the Knicks in their loss to the Pacers. During the series, the Knicks had an offensive rating of 115.9, which is 2.7 points above the league average this postseason. Their fatal flaw was they could not stop the Pacers (their defensive rating was 117.8).
Durant is clearly a better player than Anunoby. But the NBA isn’t all about talent. To win big, a team needs talent, depth and fit. By trading Anunoby for Durant, the Knicks are increasing their talent, but taking significant hits in the other two areas.
What the Knicks must do to go from good to great is A) trade Hart and their remaining draft capital for an upgrade at his position or B) trade Towns for a star who is more geared toward defense.
Executing either of these proposed actions won’t be easy. But that’s why this leap New York is trying for is the hardest one in sports. However, one thing is for certain, they won’t take this step by sacrificing their jack-of-all-trades role player for a big name star.
