Suns Trade Idea Sends Kevin Durant to Knicks

The Phoenix Suns are preparing for a dynamic offseason that could see them make a bold move or two.

One of the moves up in the air for the Suns is trading Kevin Durant, who has just one year left on his contract.

It won't be easy for the Suns to trade Durant since they had to give away so much to acquire him, but this may be the only way to help replenish Phoenix's assets.

Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale suggests that the Suns could trade Durant to the Knicks.

"Any Kevin Durant-to-the-New York Knicks scenario is predicated on the latter wanting to get out of the Karl-Anthony Towns business and the Suns (or another team) really wanting to enter it," Favale writes.

"Yes, the Knicks have other salaries to move around. But they aren't dealing Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby is too pivotal if you're keeping Towns, and the optics of rerouting Mikal Bridges for a soon-to-be 37-year-old after you mortgaged the farm to get him aren't great.

"Though Durant isn't exactly what New York needs, he adds a more bankable secondary option to the fold. Anunoby and Bridges have leveled up during Brunson's absence with a right ankle sprain, but the Knicks still rank 19th in half-court efficiency during that span.

"Subbing out Towns for Durant also stands to help the defense if New York believes Mitchell Robinson can stay healthy (mega debatable) and/or it has the remaining assets to go nab another, more durable big.

"Framed this way, the Knicks' potential interest isn't nearly as far-fetched as it initially seems. Would they be willing to make a semi-nuclear shift just one year into the KAT experience? And is he enough to serve as the primary anchor of a KD trade? Both are entirely separate matters."

It would be surprising to see the Knicks give up on the Towns experiment after just one year for Durant, who only has a year left on his contract, but crazier things have happened in the NBA.

The Knicks also would be able to reunite Towns with his college teammate Devin Booker after a decade of being in the league. The pair played together on a National Championship contender at Kentucky in 2015, but the team lost its shot at perfection in the Final Four against Wisconsin.

This may be the move that keeps Booker happy while also making a necessary change to help the future of the team.