The New York Knicks very clearly plan to be active in the free agent market this offseason, and the player often linked to them is Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors star who is eligible for free agency this offseason.
Now, the Knicks have sent a not-so-subtle message to their season ticket holders that they may be signing up to see Durant in every game next year.
The team this week sent a message out reminding season ticket holders that it’s time to renew their seats for the 2019-2020 season. But the picture they included, per ESPN , caught a lot of people’s eye: It’s a picture of the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson being guarded by Durant. The deadline for renewing is February 28, which is long before anyone will know which team Durant will be playing for next season.
The photo has since been removed.
“Game action photos are used all the time for marketing purposes, but given everything going on, we took the precaution of taking the photo down,” the team said in a statement. “To be clear, it was one of several rotating photos on the website.”
The 30-year-old Durant, who spent the earlier part of his career with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder franchise, signed with the Warriors in the summer of 2016 and has won two NBA championships with Golden State. Durant is a native of Washington, D.C.
With their recent trade of Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas for expiring contracts, the Knicks will have room for two maximum contracts in this year’s free agent market, where a large group of stars – Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, and Kemba Walker – can enter the free agent market.
The Knicks are also expected to pursue a trade for New Orleans’ Anthony Davis, who is eligible for a “supermax” extension this summer; Davis has expressed interest in signing long-term in New York, per an Inquisitr report prior to the trade deadline. New York is also expected to have a high pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
However, the Knicks have had a very difficult time attracting free agents in recent years; the one time they added a big star from another team was Carmelo Anthony, who was acquired via a trade that cost New York several key pieces.
Durant, in a press conference last week, expressed frustration with the media that covers the team, which raised questions about how comfortable Durant would be with the famously tough tabloid media in New York.
