With the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers nearing a conclusion and the June 25 draft quickly approaching, rumours about off-season moves are heating up — none bigger than speculation over Kevin Durant’s next destination.
On Tuesday’s episode of Sportsnet Today, NBA reporter Marc Stein joined Daniele Franceschi to break down Durant’s potential landing spots and what the Phoenix Suns hope to receive in return.
“They’re trying to get back as much as they can, and that’s why it’s been basically whispered to Team Durant that look, we’re not trying to send you somewhere you don’t want to go, but we gave up so much to get you, we’re duty-bound to try to get back as much as we can,” Stein said.
“Everyone dealing with the Suns knows they’re in a desperate situation, and teams like San Antonio and Houston are not interested in just giving them a haul.”
The reluctance of these teams to offer significant trade assets stems from the fact that Durant has only one year left on his $55 million contract and will turn 37 before next season.
This has opened the door for teams not on Durant’s preferred list, such as the Toronto Raptors, to make a push for the star.
“Do we see a Minnesota or Toronto or the Clippers or some mystery team say, you know what, we are willing to gamble and trade for (him) whether we have a commitment beyond next season or not, and they would do so in the belief that if you can just get him in the building, you can win him over, and of course the Raptors somewhat invented that script with Kawhi Leonard,” said Stein.
On the other hand, for a team like Toronto, it’s fair to question whether the former MVP still has enough left to justify such a significant gamble.
“It’s a fair point — the names that we’re hearing in terms of what is presumed to be Toronto’s willingness to part with in a significant trade, you know, RJ Barrett, [Immanuel] Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, the No. 9 pick — these are still trade assets that are not easy to part with,” Stein said.
Despite the potential cost, Stein said he believes acquiring Durant could be worthwhile, given the current state of the Eastern Conference.
“If you’re in the East, Kevin Durant certainly can move the needle because basically everyone in the East sees opportunity right now; we just saw this with the Orlando Magic,” Stein explained, referencing the Magic’s move to acquire guard Desmond Bane on Saturday.
If not Durant, rumours continue to swirl about Toronto’s willingness to make a big move this off-season. While there may not be another marquee name on the market now, Stein isn’t ruling out the possibility.
“The willingness does not guarantee that they will be able to find another splashy move, but look, the rumbles about [them] wanting to do something significant have been going around all month, so is there another difference maker who becomes available at this point?” Stein said.
“That’s not clear, but I would also say that when we woke up Saturday, I don’t know that a lot of us were anticipating Memphis trading [Desmond] Bane, so these things do materialize quickly sometimes.”
