Does the Kyrie Irving trade make up for the Knicks 2019 offseason debacle?
Over the past 20+ years, The Knicks have struggled to acquire superstar talent to the franchise. Year in and year out, Knicks fans have dealt with the pain of watching the NBA’s elite spurn the idea of joining the Knicks and play for other teams instead. The 2019 offseason was probably the best example of that.
Watching Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving sign with the Brooklyn Nets was viewed by many as an absolute disaster for the Knicks organization at the time. Now, looking at what has transpired since, the Knicks were probably better off not bringing KD and Kyrie to MSG.
This past Sunday, Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks two days after requesting a trade from the Nets. During Kyrie’s tenure in Brooklyn with Kevin Durant and partially James Harden, he missed nearly 40% of his games (due to injury or personal reasons) and was only able to win one playoff series.
Kyrie was a constant problem the Nets had to deal with which led to both parties parting ways. This now leaves the Nets scrambling for a way to keep and build a contending team around Kevin Durant. Of course, Durant requested a trade just last August and could be on the verge of doing so again. From what it looks like, the Knicks might have avoided one of the biggest franchise failures of all time.
Knicks Future Looks Bright
The Knicks might not be in the greatest position but at least they don’t have to deal with the situation the Nets are currently in. Plus, due to the assets they have set in place, they can potentially make a power move in the near future. Even though building a contending team may take some time for the Knicks they can at least continue to build this team from the ground up. They won’t have to mortgage their future on superstar players that are not committed to the overall goal.
Now, if the Knicks can go back to 2019, would they have signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving if they had the chance? Of course they would, along with almost every team in the NBA. Even though they did miss out on a huge opportunity, the Knicks also avoided a huge mistake and Kyrie Irving’s trade to Dallas proves that.
