In the near-term, the Knicks may wind up benefitting from the star departures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out of Brooklyn. Down the road, though, when it comes to landing a megastar, the two local rivals could be pitted against each other once again as they were when Irving and Durant chose Barclays Center over the Garden as their home.
The Nets acquired four unprotected first-round picks and a pick swap in a trade with the Suns late Wednesday night, along with enticing young wings Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson. These are the kind of assets teams look for in major deals, assets the Nets were lacking after trading three first-round picks and four pick swaps to the Rockets in the James Harden deal. The Nets, it should be noted, still don’t have a first-round selection in 2024 or 2026, although they also added unprotected first-rounders in deals for Irving and Harden in 2023 and 2029, respectively, from the Mavericks and 76ers.
Kevin Durant, left, and Kyrie Irving were both traded by the Nets this week. APThere’s no secret the Knicks have been trying to stockpile such assets for the next time a big star becomes available. Even after sending the Trail Blazers a lottery-protected 2023 first-round pick in exchange for wing Josh Hart, they still own 10 first-rounders over the next seven years, along with improving young players Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley, among others.
As for this year, the Nets losing Irving and Durant would seem to help the Knicks reach the main draw of the playoffs. They are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, one game in the loss column behind the Heat for sixth. The fifth-place Nets sit three games ahead of the Knicks with two more meetings between the two left, both at the Garden.
The Knicks acquired Josh Hart from Portland ahead of this year’s trade deadline. Getty Images
Quentin Grimes, left, and Immanuel Quickley celebrate after defeating the Bulls at the United Center back in December. Getty ImagesThe Nets have owned the Knicks on and off the court in recent years, beating them nine straight times and landing Irving and Durant over them. That, of course, didn’t work so well for Sean Marks and Co., leading to these two megadeals in recent days that could create an easier path to a top-six seed for the Knicks. Moreover, Durant and Irving’s failed tenure could give the Nets second thoughts of taking the hired-gun route – or give such a player doubt about wanting to play in Brooklyn.
