It’s Knicks-Nets in Big Apple free agency battle
NEW YORK >> It’s been seven years since the Nets crossed over the Hudson River and took up residence in the Knicks’ city.
A real rivalry might finally arrive Sunday.
Rarely relevant at the same time on the basketball court, the Knicks and Nets are front and center in the free agency race, two of the teams best positioned to make a splash when the market opens.
Both can afford two top players, with hopes of landing not only a Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, but possibly both. New York, home of the worst team in the NBA in two of the last seasons, could be the epicenter of the league in early July.
After years of bad play, bad trades and often bad basketball, at least one team in the city could look really good in a few days.
The Nets seem confident. The Knicks sound cautious.
Game on. Brooklyn is feeling good about its chances of winning it. Having recovered from an ill-fated trade with Boston in 2013 that cost the Nets years of high draft picks, Brooklyn has constructed a team that surprisingly made the playoffs. Even if they let D’Angelo Russell go after an All-Star season to pursue bigger fish, there are young core pieces such as Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris, along with a player-friendly style under Kenny Atkinson that should be attractive many players.
Forced to build slowly and small for years, they appear ready to make a big move. A trade with Atlanta to shed Allen Crabbe’s $18.5 million contract for next season left the Nets in position to go for two top players, without having to gut a promising roster to do so. Throw in a well-regarded medical staff and a recently built training center with nice views of Manhattan, and the Nets have plenty to sell.
They believe someone will want to buy.
“All I can say is a team liken Brooklyn, when they look at us from afar, I think we’ve got to give them some credit. Because the guys that are free agents, all of them I would assume have spent the last year or two surveying the league,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said. “I mean, they know where they want to go. They know what they want to be a part of. I think our young guys have done a nice job to put themselves in that position.”
The Knicks signaled their plans to look to free agency first. During a 1765 season — the worst in the NBA — they traded star Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas. The deal also allowed them to move the contracts of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee, clearing nearly $70 million in the move. The Knicks can easily be positioned to offer two max deals.
Now, they have to see if anyone wants them. to