Kevin Durant Trade Talk, Heat Targeting Stars And More NBA Intel - Siegel's Scoop
With the clock ticking down until the start of free agency on June 30, Kevin Durant shocked the NBA world when he talked with Brooklyn Nets owner Joseph Tsai and requested a trade after spending the last three seasons with the franchise.
Now 33-years-old and playing some of the best basketball of his career after suffering an Achilles tear in the 2019 NBA Finals, Durant is focused on the prime of his career right now. The drama surrounding Kyrie Irving and his vaccination this past season, along with the constant change of rotations and inability to succeed from an internal, organizational standpoint, has played a part in Kevin Durant wanting to leave the Nets.
A player like Durant truly has not hit the trade market in what seems like eons, as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975 being the only parallel that comes to mind in terms of greatness and talent.
One of the best scorers of this generation and perhaps of all-time, regardless of what his all-time scoring numbers say, a trade involving Kevin Durant could happen at any point over the next several days.
Brooklyn continues to field phone calls every day in regards to a potential Durant trade. Almost every other organization in the NBA has already reached out to the Nets.
When ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on this major story Thursday, he stated that the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat were among the two teams that Durant had on his wish list. Multiple sources have since confirmed to SI Fastbreak that the Suns and Heat are both interested in trading for Durant and one dark-horse team still remains.
There has been some recent chatter amongst league circles that the Toronto Raptors could be getting ready to bid on Kevin Durant and this idea has gained a lot of noise in the last 24 hours.
Raptors President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri is always looking to put his team in a championship position and league sources say that the idea of bringing Durant to Toronto is very reminiscent of the move the Raptors made to bring multi-time All-Star and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to the team ahead of the 2018-19 season, a year that ultimately ended in the Raptors winning their first championship in team history.
Should Toronto be willing to go “all-in” on pursuing Durant, they could very well have the most enticing trade package to offer up to Brooklyn. OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. are two young core pieces that could be utilized in a trade centered around draft picks, as is reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, who many around the league believe could be the selling point in a trade for the Raptors to acquire Kevin Durant.
For Phoenix, Deandre Ayton remains their main trade asset given that he is still a restricted free agent and has not signed an offer sheet with another team to this point. A sign-and-trade deal involving Ayton, Fist Team All-Defensive wing Mikal Bridges, possibly Cameron Johnson and multiple first-round draft picks is another potential scenario that has been brought up time-and-time again amongst league circles.
Both Phoenix and Toronto seem to have the best assets to offer up out of the three teams named above, as the Miami Heat can only really center a trade package around Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro and minimal draft compensation.
Bam Adebayo cannot be included in a deal going to Brooklyn for Kevin Durant due the rule prohibiting a team from carrying two players with designated rookie extensions. Ben Simmons is currently on the Nets roster and is on this type of contract after agreeing to a five-year, $177 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers back in 2019.
According to a report from The Athletic, Durant would only want to go to the Heat if Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry remain there. These three will combine to make roughly $96 million during the 2022-23 season, making acquiring Kevin Durant’s $44.1 million salary for this upcoming year close to impossible.
It is quite possible another team in the league sacrifices everything they have to get their hands on Kevin Durant, but as of right now, the Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors are the two most talked about teams amongst league executives when it comes to a potential Durant trade.
Miami Heat Continue To Go “Big Game Hunting”
Having their names attached to the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, the Miami Heat are also monitoring the status of other All-Stars around the league. With Bradley Beal off-the-board after he committed to the Washington Wizards long-term on a five-year, $251 million max contract, league sources say the Heat are “lurking in the shadows” pertaining to Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell.
As reported back in May, the Heat would be a team on Mitchell’s wish list of teams he would like to play for if he was to ever request a trade from the Jazz and now with All-Star Rudy Gobert being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, a ton of uncertainty clouds Utah's immediate future.
While they received quite a return from Minnesota for Gobert, nothing that the Jazz are bringing back truly sends a message that they are in a position to win and compete for a championship right now.
Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverley are two key secondary talents on a playoff contending roster, but Jarred Vanderbilt is a young forward still looking improve, Leandro Bolmaro has barely played in the NBA since being drafted in the first-round back in 2020 and Walker Kessler has not played in an NBA game at all since he was just drafted a little over a week ago.
With the Jazz still talking to teams about potential trades involving the rest of their roster, Donovan Mitchell suddenly finds himself as an All-Star talent on a team that will most certainly be rebuilding for at least the next couple of years.
No All-Star talents that will be on the move remain in free agency and unless they want to trade for Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets) or Russell Westbrook (Los Angeles Lakers), the Jazz truly do not have any options in terms of trading for another All-Star to pair with Mitchell this offseason.
As of right now, Donovan Mitchell remains loyal to the Utah Jazz and would like to be their focal point of the future, however, sources say some within Utah’s front-office are mulling the idea of a “full-scale rebuild,” much like the rebuild the Oklahoma City Thunder are currently going through with all of their draft assets and plethora of youthful talents.
Should they miss out on landing Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade this summer, it will not come as a shock one bit to see the Miami Heat go “all-in” on trading for the Jazz All-Star guard.
More NBA Intel & Rumors:
Atlanta Hawks
Acquiring Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday and dealing Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings on Friday, the Atlanta Hawks continue to discuss all options in front of them this offseason. John Collins continues to be a name many around the league are keeping an eye on in trade talks and for the right price, Atlanta seems to be willing to still deal the former first-round pick.
The Hawks believe they can put themselves in the championship picture in the Eastern Conference after pairing Dejounte Murray with Trae Young in the backcourt, which is why they are staying aggressive and receptive to all the teams that have been reaching out to them.
Boston Celtics
With Danilo Gallinari expected to be waived by the San Antonio Spurs in the coming days, sources say the Boston Celtics are the front-runners to land the veteran forward when he hits the open market. Gallinari just finished up his 13th season in the league and he is likely to join Malcolm Brogdon as another big addition to this past season’s runner-up in the NBA Finals.
Brooklyn Nets
Talk regarding Kyrie Irving’s future continues to be on-going across the league, as many are anticipating the All-Star guard pushing his way to the Los Angeles Lakers at some point. How this could happen though is unknown, as Brooklyn has given no indications that they would like to take back Russell Westbrook in a trade with Los Angeles.
Contrary to working with Kevin Durant on a trade that benefits both parties, the Nets seem to want to get the best possible return when it comes to a potential Irving trade, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated on First Take recently, “The Nets have no interest in accommodating Kyrie Irving.”
Philadelphia 76ers
James Harden will be re-signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, taking less money than anticipated and giving the team flexibility to surround him and Joel Embiid with the necessary talents to make the Sixers the best team in the Eastern Conference, sources say. Already agreeing to terms with Danuel House Jr. and P.J. Tucker in free agency, the 76ers believe that a full season of Harden and Embiid with Harris and Maxey by their side could result in the best record in the NBA.
