Supply: Knicks did not wish to provide KD max deal
Ramona Shelburne
ShutESPN Senior AuthorSenior author for ESPN.comSpent seven years on the Los Angeles Every day Information
Adrian Wojnarowski
Shut
NBASenior NBA Insider
Joined ESPN in 2017
Host of The Woj Pod
The New York Knicks weren’t ready to supply Kevin Durant the four-year, $164 million contract he ultimately dedicated to with the Brooklyn Nets due to considerations about his restoration from his Achilles damage, league sources advised ESPN.
Coming off such a catastrophic damage, Durant was taken with solely most contract provides. With New York unwilling to take that threat, the Knicks entrance workplace as a substitute flew to Los Angeles to fulfill with and safe a dedication from Julius Randle on a three-year, $63 million deal, CAA brokers Aaron Mintz and Steve Heumann advised ESPN on Sunday.
PlayerDays Between GamesKevin Durant?DeMarcus Cousins357Rudy Homosexual273Wesley Matthews237Kobe Bryant240Chauncey Billups296Elton Model243LaPhonso Ellis222Dominique Wilkins283– ESPN Stats & Info analysis
Durant had lengthy been a spotlight for the Knicks, who made a number of trades this yr to safe the requisite salary-cap house to signal him and one other famous person. Nevertheless, their pondering modified after Durant’s damage, which is more likely to preserve him out all of subsequent season.
The events by no means mentioned monetary phrases of a potential deal, however Durant would not have thought of a proposal beneath the total max, which Brooklyn, the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers provided, league sources stated.
Knicks president Steve Mills addressed followers within the aftermath of Durant’s dedication to the Nets in a press release launched Sunday night time.
“Whereas we perceive that some Knicks followers could possibly be disenchanted with tonight’s information, we proceed to be upbeat and assured in our plans to rebuild the Knicks to compete for championships sooner or later, by means of each the draft and focused free brokers,” Mills wrote.
The Knicks later amended the assertion to additionally embrace compete for titles by “persevering with to construct round our core of younger gamers”
New York adopted up the Randle settlement by putting a two-year, $31 million take care of ahead Bobby Portis and a two-year, $20 million take care of 10-year veteran Taj Gibson, agent Mark Bartelstein advised ESPN.