Knicks need to pass on a trade for LeBron James

The Knicks are, if nothing else, famously tight-lipped. So it was out of character but immensely notable that when Kevin Durant began listing his preferred trade destinations and included the Knicks, sources within the organization quickly let it be known that they would not be a landing spot.

Maybe it signals that the only fireworks around Madison Square Garden this summer might be the ones on display for this weekend’s festivities. That means don’t count on a LeBron James trade lighting up the skies of New York.

When James opted into his $52 million player option last week, his agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN, “LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all . . .  We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him.”

Antennas went up around the league, but this isn’t James sitting down at the Greenwich Boys and Girls Club with the fate of teams hanging in the balance — championship dreams realized in Miami and crushed everywhere else, including New York.

While you can debate the moves the Knicks made last summer, sending out five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges and then dealing Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Karl-Anthony Towns, you can’t argue the all-in logic of the front office. On paper, the pieces fit in with the roster, and on the court, it helped the Knicks take a step forward to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in a quarter-century.

But what makes no sense is shipping out an All-NBA player in Towns or a package of starters to land James, who will turn 41 in December.

He undoubtedly still is a great player, and it's a marvel to behold what he’s doing at this age. But he’s not the same force he once was, not the defensive stopper he could be, and even if he hasn’t put out a timeline for the end of his career, it creeps up on even the most amazing athletes.

James has spent two decades in a debate about whether he or Michael Jordan  is the greatest player in NBA history.  And we all remember Jordan in Washington Wizards colors. At some point soon, James will look like that, too.

 Roster construction, part II

There is another reason to pass on a James deal. The Knicks' moves last summer cleared out assets, but what they have will need to be held onto tightly  right now because of  the whispers and theories that Giannis Antetokounmpo will ask out of Milwaukee.

The Knicks do have assets still. The salary cap may make big-money players less appealing than a boatload of draft picks, but they do have players who hold value. Towns may be the starting point, an All-NBA talent who still has years left, as he'll turn 30 early in the season. As an aside, he becomes eligible this weekend for a contract extension on top of the $53.1 million he is due this season, with another $118.2 million over the next two years.

The most interesting contract might be that of Bridges, who is eligible for a contract extension of up to four years and $156 million. If the Knicks don’t provide hints, they do have a history, and this front office has made a decision on a contract extension before allowing their players to enter free agency.

In Jalen Brunson’s case, it was working out a mutually beneficial contract extension, far below what he could have gotten if he waited until this summer while still providing him with security and generational wealth. And when the Knicks didn’t want to provide that extension? Just ask Randle, Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley.

The Knicks may have a new coach in Mike Brown, but the front office was in place to get a read on Bridges and decide if his availability every game and his ups and downs are worth that sort of commitment. They also have to do that with Mitchell Robinson, who is on an expiring contract that will pay him $12.9 million this season. They must decide whether the player is a trade chip or a part of the future.

 What can Brown do for . . . 

This isn’t a UPS ad. It’s a question worth asking: What can   Brown do for the Knicks stars? And the answer might be that it all depends on what they’re willing to do.

When Brown tried to tinker in Los Angeles after succeeding Phil Jackson, his attempts to institute aspects of the Princeton offense in place of the triangle offense had veteran players holding meetings, and five games into his second season, he was pushed out. But when he implemented that as a part of his game plan in Sacramento, the Kings became one of the best passing teams in the game and the top-ranked offense in the NBA.

So while the Knicks may be focusing on their mantra of leadership and collaboration as to what Brown brings, can he unlock something in the Knicks' two most talented offensive talents, Brunson and Towns?

Brunson’s elite skill is shot creation, and Tom Thibodeau’s offense — which was far more effective in the last two seasons than you would think from listening to the critics — stressed getting the ball into the paint, drawing multiple defenders and  either scoring or spraying it out to a teammate.

Can Brunson find some next level by playing a different way? And do the Knicks want Brunson to play a different way?

Well, it certainly could work, creating openings for Brunson and finding ways to keep teammates involved. Or it could take something away. Brown has seen that before and from his struggles in L.A. to his successes in Sacramento.

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.