Kevin Durant will become an unrestricted free agent two summers from now. And when that time comes, numerous teams around the league will surely make their best pitch on the reigning MVP and perennial scoring champion to try and pry him away from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The New York Knicks are rumored to have been eyeing Durant in 2016 and have just hired former team coach Brian Keefe to help them in their campaign, according to Marc Berman of New York Post.
Citing an NBA source, Berman said, "Durant, a free agent in 2016, is very close to Keefe. Keefe had been with Oklahoma City for seven seasons - the first two as developmental coach - before being promoted to assistant. The hire, unofficially made in mid-July, can't hurt the Knicks' pitch for Durant if they still have cap space to spend that summer."
Berman also mentioned how Keefe helped Durant regarding proper body language and attitude last season.
President Phil Jackson reportedly brought in Keefe to the Knicks to add experience and professionalism as an assistant coach to first-year head coach Derek Fisher's staff. But many are speculating that the move may also have a hidden motive, and that is to help lure Durant to the Big Apple in 2016 as what Jordan Webb of HNGN suggested.
Durant is particularly quiet about his plans for 2016. The fact that he hasn't expressed any commitment whatsoever on returning to Oklahoma City has made a lot of Thunder fans nervous on the possibility that he might jump ship. The Knicks will be a contender for Durant's services two summers from now, but KD's hometown team, the Washington Wizards, are widely considered as the biggest threat and would be the most likely landing spot for the star forward if he declines to re-sign with the Thunder.
"Obviously the New York Knicks would be in the mix and what have you. But there are folks that I've spoken to that are relatively close to Kevin Durant that tell me if he were to decide to leave Oklahoma City, it would be for the nation's capital. That's the kind of dude he is. That's a place that he would consider," ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said during an interview on July 15, as per Sports Illustrated.
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