The rumor mill is one of the most volatile things during the offseason. One week, every player is going to the New York Knicks, the next, they’re going to the Brooklyn Nets. It’s a wild media-driven ride that will include fake news and some real sprinkled in-between. Ultimately, we won’t officially know anything until a player is signed, but as of late, the free agent stars of the NBA have seemingly lost interest in the Knicks.
It’s hard to believe the Nets are the team to join this offseason, but they’re a playoff caliber team that just opened up a boat-load of cap space to go out and pursue big-time players.
Kevin Durant is still rumored to favor the Knicks, but options like Kyrie Irving, who was spotted in Manhattan last week, are seriously considering the Nets instead.
It all comes down to management and the front office, something the Nets have improved significantly over the past few seasons. The Knicks, however, are an ever-turning Ferris wheel of disaster. Phil Jackson, thought to be the savior of the franchise, plummeted the team into a state of despair.
Now, the team is built on youth and will have a top 3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The obvious pick would be RJ Barrett, a very talented player that averaged more than 26 points per game in his lone college season with Duke. He played second fiddle to Zion Williamson, but on any other team, he would have been even more impressive.
The Knicks will likely elect to choose him, which will hopefully draw interest from some big players. Bringing in two stars – preferably Durant and a point guard would put the Knicks in a place to compete for a playoff spot. It’s just a matter of convincing players to come, which will be difficult considering the bad mojo the Knicks have forced upon players for quite some time.
It will be interesting to see how the free agency period plays out. The Nets could keep DeAngelo Russell and still sign Kyrie Irving, they have plenty of money to make a splash and they have a loyal fan-base ready to come out and support. They are a serious threat to the Knicks in FA.