Kevin Durant officially requested a trade out of Brooklyn on Thursday. It is being reported that the Suns and Heat are both on his wish list. But Durant just signed a new deal that last summer that has four years remaining on it. Because of that, the Nets plan to move him to whatever team offers them the best deal. Every single team in the league will be calling the Nets about KD today. At the time of this writing half the league has already called about him. It is important to remember what the Thunder got for Paul George a couple of years ago. OKC got five first-round picks, two pick swaps, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Clippers. KD will fetch more. Whatever Brooklyn gets in return for him will be a historic haul. It will change the landscape of the NBA.
Six Landing Spots For Kevin Durant
Phoenix and Miami are among two of the teams that Kevin Durant has on his wish list, sources tell ESPN, but the Nets plan to move Durant where they can get the best possible deal. With four years on his contract, there’s no shortage of teams willing to unload assets for Durant.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
Phoenix Suns
One of the known team that Durant has on his wish list is the Suns. Phoenix probably has the best chance of landing KD as of right now. They have all of their own draft picks. They have Deandre Ayton who is highly sought-after by a lot of teams around the league. Cameron Johnson is a good young swingman on the wing. Mikal Bridges would be perfect for what Nets GM Sean Marks wants to do with the team in Brooklyn.
All of that combined with the fact that it has been reported that Phoenix might just be Durant’s “preferred” destination makes me think that the Suns are currently the most likely team to land KD.
Miami Heat
The Heat are the other one of two teams that are reported to be on Durant’s wish list, and they could definitely get it done. NBA Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro and the newest member of the Heat Nikola Jović would both almost certainly have to go, along with multiple first-round picks. Either Duncan Robinson or Kyle Lowry would have to go somewhere too in order to make the money work. The only thing the Heat can’t give the Nets is Bam Adebayo due to the designated rookie extension rule. You can’t have two players on the same team that were signed to that kind of deal. Ben Simmons is that player for Brooklyn.
Adding Kevin Durant to a lineup that has Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler would be deadly. He could be just what the team needs to get back over the hump and win another title.
Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard recently posted a picture edit on his Instagram story of him and KD in Portland uniforms. The team has been rumored to be wanting to make some big moves this offseason and have been connected to multiple big players. They just drafted Kentucky freshman Shaedon Sharpe sixth overall last week, although he didn’t play at all last year. Josh Hart, and Jusuf Nurkić are on the roster, though they might not be as attractive to the Nets as the pieces that other teams have.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have the assets to make a trade work. For one, they have all of their draft picks. They also have multiple intriguing players. For starters they have Scottie Barnes, this year’s Rookie of the Year. Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Fred VanVleet are all attractive pieces that Toronto could sent to Brooklyn in a potential KD trade.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors just won a title. So why am I putting them in this? Because you know who has the perfect trade package for KD? The Warriors. James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody are all young, highly talented players that didn’t play much for the Warriors during their championship run. Those recent high draft picks would certainly be extremely enticing for Brooklyn.
Utah Jazz
This one I’m putting in for fun because of the assets that the Jazz have. It has been thought for a while now that Utah would trade one of their two superstars, either Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert, this offseason. Both are great, established players that are in their prime. There are other players on the team that the Jazz could include in a deal as well as draft picks. Utah is an interesting darkhorse candidate.
Others
Durant’s hometown Washington Wizards could also be a team that he might be interested in. The Grizzlies could be a team to watch out for, as could the Celtics and the 76ers. Really the only teams I would count out are the Lakers and the Knicks. The Lakers have no assets and I highly doubt that Brooklyn wants to send KD over one borough to Manhattan. But they will still call. So will everyone else.
