Do you remember Shams Charania’s latest input on Kevin Durant’s trade rumors? Yes, the one that involves a total of five teams with mutual interests. One of the teams on the unique list is the New York Knicks. Interestingly enough, the Knicks under Leon Rose’s management have improved exponentially. However, they might not be in a very favorable position to trade for KD. In this context, Knickerbockers’ fan Stephen A. Smith expressed his true feelings.

On First Take, ESPN’s senior insider, Shams Charania, reminded the audience that the Knicks made three massive trades in the last 16 months. “You get OG Anunoby, you get Mikal Bridges, and then you get Karl-Anthony Towns,” he recalled. “There are only so many moves you can make. They don’t have a plethora of first-round picks they can trade.” But their performance in the playoffs and how several other teams perform “could have a big impact on the landscape of trades.” And Kevin Durant is going to feel the impact.

Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith, who was waiting to share his thoughts, pounced on the opportunity. He began by complimenting the Knicks president, Leon Rose. “Let’s show appreciation for Leon Rose. From his perspective, Worldwide West, and the crew, they’re no longer garbage. It’s not basketball purgatory. They are a respectable franchise,” Smith expressed. However, “the flip side is that I love me some Mikal Bridges, I truly do, but we gave up too much for him. Five picks, four—I think it was four first-round picks, something like that. Five picks, four unprotected. Too much.”

At the same time, SAS cleared his stance on whom he’d send off from the current New York Knicks squad to get the Slim Reaper. “No, you can’t give up, KAT; I’m not giving up, KAT. I’m not giving up, Brunson. I’m not giving up Anunoby either,” SAS clarified. If Bridges’ contract isn’t renewed, teams could include him in trade rumors until the February 2026 deadline since he will be an impending free agent.

The Knicks signaled their interest in a long-term deal with Bridges by mortgaging their entire future to bring him aboard. They paid him big,  sending Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, and Mamadi Diakite to the Nets, along with four unprotected first-round picks and one protected pick. Meanwhile, they gave up Randle and DiVicenzo to acquire KAT from Minnesota. Too many sacrifices and a hard hit on the pocket would surely influence the franchise’s interest in signing KD.

Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith found himself stuck in a new controversy on social media. Well, it’s nothing new for the veteran analyst to find himself in a whirlpool of conversation. But curse Durant? No way! That’s going overboard and beyond!

Stephen A. Smith takes social media’s help to clear the doubts about the latest controversy featuring KD

In the wake of getting backlashed for wrongly accusing LeBron James of missing Kobe Bryant’s memorial, Stephen A. Smith is putting extra efforts into clearing doubts these days. On Thursday, the 57-year-old veteran analyst took to his X handle to not just clarify but create a distance from the ongoing viral clip of SAS foul-mouthing Kevin Durant. Smith confirmed that it is indeed AI-generated. Stephen A. wrote:

“We are living in dangerous times. There is some b.s. floating around on Instagram with me talking about @KDTrey5 — using profanity, cussing him out, etc. For the record, that is a LIE. It is A.I Generated or something. I just letting everyone know ahead of time…..THAT WAS NOT ME! No truth to it. Just so everyone knows. Complete Fabrication. Have a nice day.”

However, it remains unclear which video he’s referring to in his tweet. Well, there are no secrets that his relationship with not just Bron but with KD too is strained. Thus, given his current situation and his recent statements, Smith is steering clear of the rumors.

The New York Knicks’ trade moves have reshaped their future, but at what cost? While Stephen A. Smith defends their progress, he’s caught in yet another storm—this time over an AI-generated clip. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant’s name swirls in trade talks, but will the Knicks take the gamble? With playoff performances set to shake the market, the stakes are higher than ever.