After being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Knicks have been heavily involved in trade rumors. The club hopes to build a true contender around point guard Jalen Brunson, and to do so, the front office may have to make some splashy moves. On Monday, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith named New York as the favorite to potentially land both Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Smith doesn’t seem to believe that both forwards would go to the Knicks together. Instead, he seems more inclined that New York could get one or the other in a trade. Other notable trade destinations for Durant included the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Miami Heat. Meanwhile, Smith also named the Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Heat, and Boston Celtics as trade suitors for Antetokounmpo.
The top 5 destinations for Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Stephen A. Smith
KD: Greek Freak:
1. Knicks 1. Knicks
2. Rockets 2. Rockets
3. Timberwolves 3. Mavs
4. Pistons… pic.twitter.com/1eXM95deRy— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 9, 2025
The Knicks very well could be in the mix for one or both superstars. But that is yet to be determined. Regardless, New York is the team that Stephen A. Smith believes will make a move for at least one of those superstars. However, his fandom could be getting in the way of what’s being said around the league.
NBA insider Bill Simmons seems to believe that the San Antonio Spurs are the favorite to land Kevin Durant via trade, and not the Knicks. He predicts that the Spurs will trade for Durant while also keeping the No. 2 pick overall of the 2025 NBA Draft. He likes that for San Antonio more so than Giannis Antetokounmpo, as Durant is viewed as the “cheaper” asset in terms of trade value.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if KD to the Spurs is done already, and they just haven’t announced it. Basically, they’ve agreed on specifics, just announce it on the week of the draft. This goes back to the Giannis thing. I think they trade for KD because it just costs less. They’ll be able to be real competitive and maybe go a couple of rounds in the playoffs, but they’re also going to keep the No. 2 pick and do it that way, which is my prediction.”
We’ll see how it plays out. The coming weeks will be very telling of what teams around the league plan to do. The Knicks are very much in the mix to make a splash move this offseason. Especially after firing Tom Thibodeau as head coach.
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