New York Knicks might make a run at signing Kevin Durant in 2016

May 7, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) is awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player award prior to action against the Los Angeles Clippers in game two of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) is awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player award prior to action against the Los Angeles Clippers in game two of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The New York Knicks have new management and a new head coach, and they’re starting to slowly change their identity as a team. One way that the team has changed is that they’ve added to head coach Derek Fisher’s staff, as Brian Keefe has been hired as an assistant.

More from Kevin Durant

You may be saking yourself why that’s so significant, which is why it’s such a sneaky brilliant hire by the Knicks. Keefe was instrumental in helping Kevin Durant develop in Oklahoma City, and while he’s joining a familiar face in New York with Derek Fisher, he could be used as a selling point for Durant coming to the Knicks.

According to the New York Post, the recent hiring of Brian Keefe could be a sign that the Knicks might be in the running to sign Durant in the summer of 2016.

"Durant, a free agent in 2016, is very close to Keefe, according to an NBA source. Keefe had been with Oklahoma City for seven seasons — the first two as developmental coach — before being promoted to assistant. The hire, unofficially made in mid-July, can’t hurt the Knicks’ pitch for Durant if they still have cap space to spend that summer.“He’s Durant’s guy,’’ the league source said."

It’s a long shot at this point, as a lot can happen in two years, but the Knicks hiring Keefe is something that will generally help the team with or without Durant. How much it helps them get Durant in 2016 remains yet to be seen.

Be sure to check FanSided.com’s official NBA page to keep up to date on the latest news and rumors from around the league all summer long.