The New York Knicks will have room for one max-contract in 2019. What does this mean? General manager Steve Mills will have the opportunity to go out and attract a big name to the Mecca of sports.
After Kevin Durant extended his contract with the Golden State Warriors with a two-year, $62 million deal this week, Mills still believes convincing the super-star small-forward to join the ranks of New York is a possibility. In 2019, the salary cap for NBA teams is expected to make a jump by $8 million, which would allow teams with little cap to have a chance at some of the bigger names.
Just how unfair are the Warriors at this point?
With the Warriors signing Demarcus Cousins to a one-year deal, it seems as if the NBA has one of the most unfair playing fields across the boards of sports. Having a starting roster of Durant, Steph Curry, Cousins, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, simply leaves the rest of the league in awe. We can expect them to lose no more than 10 games next season.
If Durant really wants to prove himself, he will join a young Knicks team looking to take a big leap forward in the years ahead. By the time Durant would join the team, first-round pick Kevin Knox would have a year of experience under his belt and Kristaps Porzingis would be healthy and ready to lead his team on a run.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe stated:
“Kevin Durant is going to be the single biggest story in the NBA now that this [LeBron’s free agency] is over.”
“And if you don’t think that all of these teams… like, if you think the Knicks noise is bogus, it’s not.
“I’m not saying he’s going there, I’m saying that they are absolutely planning their offseason around him.
“If you want to beat the Warriors, take that guy off their team and put him on your team. That is the best way to do it, and that is what they are going to try to do.â€
The Knicks would have to splash serious cash to even consider stealing Durant away from Golden State. We are talking $35 million per-season.