Months after acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks team president Leon Rose was prepared to make another blockbuster trade.
Echoing an earlier report, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Thursday the Knicks made an offer for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline. They and Durant had mutual interest, though nothing came together.
Rose may have simply sensed an opportunity to get the 15-time All-Star at a discounted price as the Suns were in the midst of a season that fell well short of expectations.
Accommodating Durant’s $51.2 million salary would’ve meant sacrificing one or more high earners on New York’s roster, though.
Jalen Brunson is almost certainly untouchable, while Bridges and OG Anunoby are probably too valuable defensively to part with. Combining Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson would’ve gotten to $32.5 million, still well below KD’s salary figure.
Maybe Rose was lining up a third or even fourth team to get involved to help balance the financial scales.
Otherwise, Towns is the most logical piece who would go to Phoenix in a straight swap with the Suns, and offloading KAT less than a year after acquiring him would’ve been a stunner.
Fast forward to the present and the idea of the Knicks trading the decorated big man is a little less shocking.
Towns’ defense was a clear issue for New York in the playoffs, and the problem was apparently worse than fans realized. The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz reported players and coaches alike “expressed frustration with Towns’ defensive habits — less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end.”
“Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it,” the report said. “After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn’t grasp the importance of the matter.”
Having already fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, New York might be counting on more continuity and a new voice on the sideline to provide a big difference in 2025-26.
But the Knicks’ exit in the conference finals wasn’t purely down to coaching, and it stands to reason that Rose, having considered something radical already, will head into the summer with an open mind.
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