Why Don't Knicks Want Kevin Durant?

The New York Knicks are a team that Kevin Durant would like to play for, but the feeling is reportedly not mutual.

The Knicks are looking for someone who could upgrade the roster and help them get over the hump in the Eastern Conference, and while Durant fits the build, the team isn't looking to make a trade.

CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn attempts to reason with New York's logic.

"New York had a few plausible paths to pursuing Durant, but all featured some significant hiccup. They could have built a deal around Karl-Anthony Towns, which would have been fairly workable from a cap perspective. However, Suns insider John Gambadoro reported that Phoenix was not interested in a Towns-centric trade," Quinn wrote.

"That meant, just to match salary, the Knicks would have needed to include several key role players. Such a deal likely would have centered around one of their versatile forwards, OG Anunoby or former Sun Mikal Bridges, as well as Mitchell Robinson, who returned from an injury that kept him out for most of the season to play an enormous role in the playoffs."

The Knicks would have had to pay a lot for Durant, and even though he is one of the best players in NBA history, he isn't worth chopping three role players for.

The Suns are getting offers from around the league that are significantly lower than what they are expecting, and that could change their approach as they look to trade Durant.

If the Suns are willing to change their mind in regards to wanting Towns, that could re-open trade talks with the Knicks. Towns played in college with Suns star Devin Booker, so it's a bit of a surprise to see that Phoenix wouldn't entertain a swap between him and Durant.

That being said, the Knicks will look for other avenues to improve their team.