NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Knicks' Kevin Durant Pursuit, Bulls' GM Search

The summer of 2019 was supposed to mark the resurgence of the New York Knicks.

Sure, the Knicks had traded away fan favorite Kristaps Porzingis, but that trade resulted in the Knicks gaining a second max salary spot, which they could spend on any number of stars.

Knicks fans were hoping to land two stars in particular: Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. 

The two had developed a close relationship and, as the public would later come to find out, had been planning to join forces for some time. Given New York is one of the biggest markets in the country and Irving grew up in New Jersey, it felt feasible the two would head to "The Mecca."

What made the notion that much more salivating was the fact that the Knicks were among the three teams with the best odds at the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, also known as the Zion Williamson sweepstakes. 

Naturally, it would have been easy for Knicks fans to get swept up in grandiose visions of a dynamic trio led by Durant, Irving and Williamson, who would surely have given the Knicks their long-awaited return to glory.

Of course, it did not play out that way. The Knicks slipped to No. 3 in the draft, and Durant and Irving decided to play for New York's "other" team, the Brooklyn Nets.

Here is the latest on the Knicks' failed pursuit of Durant, as well as some recent developments involving the Chicago Bulls' continued front-office renovation.

Did Achilles Injury Prevent Durant from Signing with Knicks?

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Durant has said throughout the course of the season he never seriously considered the Knicks.

Back in October, Durant told Ebro in the Morning on Hot 97 that younger generations of NBA players do not think the Knicks brand is "cool" because they have only ever known the Knicks to be a losing franchise.

However, the Knicks feel there were other factors that influenced Durant's final decision.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported some members of the organization feel Durant would have signed with New York had he not suffered an Achilles injury during the NBA Finals. Though this train of thought might seem fairly speculative, there are reasons it could be true.

Durant wanted to team up with a second star, but he might have deemed it impossible to coax another player to join him in New York when he would have to sit out the entirety of the 2019-20 season. After all, the Knicks did not have many pieces in place, so the onus would have been on the second star to keep the team competitive.

Alternatively, if Durant were healthy, he might have seen more upside in playing for the Knicks. More fandom and marketability likely would have awaited him, and he would have become a beloved figure if he had helped turn the franchise into a winner from the jump.

Instead, it was easier for Durant and Kyrie to fall back to the Nets, a team that had made the playoffs the year before on the strength of its collective identity.

Still, it is an interesting "what if" to consider, though Knicks fans are probably ready to move on at this juncture.

Karnisovas Beginning Bulls GM Search

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The Chicago Bulls hired former Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas to be their top executive, and Karnisovas is already working on assembling his staff.

Karnisovas quickly hired former New Orleans Pelicans executive J.J. Polk, according to ESPN's Andrew Lopez, and is reportedly considering bringing Nuggets scout and former Phoenix Suns assistant GM Pat Connelly into the fold, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowksi also reported Karnisovas has begun the search for a new general manager, with a pool that includes a number of current assistant GMs, and K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago later indicated Calvin Booth (Nuggets) and Matt Lloyd (Orlando Magic) are the two main interests.

It would make sense Karnisovas would want to pilfer some of his former front office-mates with the Nuggets after the success Denver has had in terms of drafting and player development. From Nikola Jokic and Gary Harris to Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets owe much of their current success to a strong group of (mostly) homegrown players.

The Bulls had withered under the leadership of John Paxson and Gar Forman, and the Reinsdorf family is giving Karnisovas "full authority" to determine his staff and assess personnel as he looks to get the franchise back on track, per the Chicago Tribune's Jamal Collier.