What if New York signs Durant this summer?

[Eddie20]

Durant on Porzingis

“He can shoot, he can make the right plays, he can defend, he’s a 7-footer that can shoot all the way out to the 3-point line,” Durant said, according to ESPN. “That’s rare. And block shots—that’s like a unicorn in this league.

“When they made the pick, I texted [Knicks head coach Derek Fisher] immediately and said ‘I like this kid, he can play.’ A lot of people were down on him, but he can play. He’s a skilled guy and I think we’ve gotten away from enjoying skilled players in this league. We get so many players that are athletic and big and strong, but he’s a skilled player.”

Durant on New York

“They link everybody with New York City,’’ Durant said after the Thunder’s shootaround at the Garden. “It’s one of the greatest cities in the world. It’s not a bad thing. It’s a great city. Great place to visit, great place to live, I’m sure. But they link everybody, not just me.

“I spent some nice time up here playing basketball in New York City. Some of the most memorable times in my life was coming up here, playing outside, just getting the pure love of the game up here. I remember that, always going to remember that the rest of my life and tell my kids about that when I get older. I come from Maryland. We know how big basketball is here.

“Of course I enjoy playing here and the Garden. Every movie you watch, you had a scene playing basketball in the Garden. Everything reverts back to being in the Garden, whether [it’s] musicians, basketball players. To play here is just a blessing.’’

Ian Begley
ESPN Staff Writer on Durant signing with New York

Kevin Durant will make his only appearance of the season at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. But if the Knicks somehow get their way come the offseason, Durant will be playing at MSG much more frequently in 2016-17.

New York is one of several teams who hope to have an audience with the star forward during the free agency period this summer. If money is a determining factor, as it usually is in these situations, the Oklahoma City Thunder will have a strong chance to retain Durant.

The Thunder can offer Durant a five-year contract starting at $25 million with annual raises as high as 7.5 percent. Other teams can offer Durant a four-year contract worth $25 million in Year 1 with annual raises as high as 4.5 percent.

However, according to ESPN's Amin Elhassan, Durant could also follow LeBron James' strategy and take a one-year deal plus player option (which he would exercise and opt out) so he'll be eligible for the 2017 free agency class as a 10-year veteran, which makes him eligible for a higher share of cap space. In 2017, the money teams will have available for free agency will be even greater.

Regardless, for the Knicks, the magic number when it comes to any pursuit of Durant is $25 million. Phil Jackson's club will have to get creative -- or make some hard decisions -- to put itself in position to offer Durant a maximum contract.

But first, a simple question:

Why would Durant want to come to N.Y.?

That's impossible to answer today, but some executives around the league expect the Knicks to at least get an audience with Durant. The 2013-14 MVP has a strong relationship with Carmelo Anthony and head coach Derek Fisher. As noted here, a league source familiar with Durant's thinking said that Fisher's presence "will factor in" to the star forward's decision.

Durant said on Tuesday that he'd consider his options at the conclusion of the Thunder's season.

"I can't totally just say I haven't thought about (free agency at all. But I haven't sat down and really put a lot of time into what I'm looking for," Durant said Tuesday. "Just focusing on my teammates, focusing on the season and how I can be better as a player, as a leader. Everything else comes after that and it comes after the season."

Durant also recently spoke highly of Kristaps Porzingis, though how he, Anthony and Porzingis fit together is another question altogether.

On-court fit aside, if New York has the money to make a max offer, the club should have a chance to make a pitch to Durant. But creating the requisite cap space will be a challenge.

So let's take a look at some possible scenarios and how they affect whether the Knicks can land Durant.

Best-case scenario

The Knicks currently have $55,366,567 in committed salary for the 2016-17 season. In addition to that $55 million, they have offered player options to Arron Afflalo ($8 million) and Derrick Williams ($4.6 million).

Let's assume for a moment the Knicks renounce their rights to all free agents on the roster, which means potentially letting Langston Galloway and Lance Thomas walk. Let's also assume that Afflalo and Williams decline to exercise their player options (if Afflalo continues to play as well as he has to this point, execs around the league believe that's a safe bet).

In this scenario, the Knicks would have six players on the roster and would have a little over $30.3 million in available cap space this summer based on the projected salary cap. (To determine their cap space here, you'd have to add six cap holds at approximately $540,000 apiece).

That's enough to offer Durant a maximum contract. But it's also an unlikely scenario.

More likely is that the Knicks look to retain either Thomas or Galloway, or both.

Here's where things get tricky for the Knicks in their pursuit of Durant or any other free agent slotted to make $25 million in the first year of his max contract (a list that includes Mike Conley, DeMar DeRozan and Al Horford).

Lance Thomas is an Early Bird Rights free agent. So Thomas will enter the summer with a cap hold of $2.1 million. Galloway is a two-year veteran, so the Knicks will have to extend him a qualifying offer of $1.1 million. (That increases to $2.7 million for Galloway if he plays 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games this season).

If you include cap holds for Thomas and Galloway, that leaves the Knicks with about $27.1 million in cap space in the summer of 2016. That's enough to offer Durant a maximum contract, but not much else. And that's also assuming they renounce Afflalo and Williams.

If Afflalo ($8,000,000) and Williams ($4,598,000) pick up their 2016-17 player options, the Knicks' committed money for next season increases to $70.1 million for eight players (plus four cap holds).

That would leave the Knicks with $18.9 million in cap space and no shot to make Durant or the other free agents mentioned above a maximum contract offer.

If Afflalo and/or Williams decline their options and enter free agency, the Knicks will likely have to spend even more to retain either player, further reducing their cap space for 2016.

So the team will probably have to perform some financial gymnastics -- or make some hard decisions -- to be in position to sign a max player like Durant.

One of those hard decisions could potentially involve Jose Calderon. Calderon will be entering the final year of his contract in 2016-17 and is slated to make $7.7 million.

The Knicks can waive and stretch Calderon, which would give him a $2,569,476 cap number, potentially creating $5.2 million in cap space. Also, the Knicks might have more cap space if the 2016-17 salary cap is higher than the projected $89 million -- which could help in their pursuit of Durant.

[TheFlex]

Anyone would get excited thinking about the multitude of teams just lying in wait to court you in the offseason. Right now, Durant probably thinks about FA now and then -- when he sees Wall dominating the Eastern point guard landscape, or when he sees Porzingis shining on the Garden stage, etc. But when it comes down to actually making a decision, thinking about where you want to live and who you want to play with for the next 4 years -- the best 4 years of his prime, I don't see him as the type to leave OKC at all. When you factor in the money, I honestly don't see any legitimate contender for Durant outside of OKC. Just a bunch of pretenders.

[Eddie20]

Anyone would get excited thinking about the multitude of teams just lying in wait to court you in the offseason. Right now, Durant probably thinks about FA now and then -- when he sees Wall dominating the Eastern point guard landscape, or when he sees Porzingis shining on the Garden stage, etc. But when it comes down to actually making a decision, thinking about where you want to live and who you want to play with for the next 4 years -- the best 4 years of his prime, I don't see him as the type to leave OKC at all. When you factor in the money, I honestly don't see any legitimate contender for Durant outside of OKC. Just a bunch of pretenders.

Perhaps, but at the same time he must wonder if Carmelo and the fast improving Porzingis gives him a better chance to win a title than Westbrook, Ibaka, and having to come out of the west does.

A crunch time lineup of Melo, Durant, and Porzingis along the frontline would be a nightmare to stop. So much spacing, skill, and size.

[footey]

I agree with Eddie. If Durant is serious about going to the finals and winning a championship, he will look closely at Eastern Conference teams, especially given GS prospects the next 3-5 years.

While NY is an obvious possibility, I could see him digging on Boston too, especially with Brad Stevens as our coach.  DC has to have dropped down on his desired list of places to play given how they are going south.

[mef730]

I agree with Eddie. If Durant is serious about going to the finals and winning a championship, he will look closely at Eastern Conference teams, especially given GS prospects the next 3-5 years.

While NY is an obvious possibility, I could see him digging on Boston too, especially with Brad Stevens as our coach.  DC has to have dropped down on his desired list of places to play given how they are going south.

I wouldn't write off DC. Durant knows that if he goes there, talent will follow.

Mike