Does a Trade for Kevin Durant Make Sense for the OKC Thunder?
Kevin Durant’s NBA story has long-orbited the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Back in 2007, the then-Seattle Supersonics drafted the lengthy sharpshooter second overall, eventually becoming the Thunder, where Durant would spend the first leg of his illustrious career as one of the best players in the league.
Eventually, Durant left for the greener pastures of Golden State, where he’d win a pair of titles, souring the OKC fanbase plenty in the process.
Now, after a failed stint in Brooklyn, Durant has found himself in Phoenix, which — as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski alluded to on Christmas Day — could be a more short-lived tenure than many expected.
“They can feel the frustration with Durant,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown. “Part of that certainly is the missed games from Brad Beal — the underwhelming supporting cast.”
While Wojnarowski's words aren't yet a death sentence for the Suns, there's certainly a reason they were put out into the public: things need to happen in Phoenix. Soon.
And if they don't, Durant will likely take matters into his own hands in the form of a trade request. And should a theoretical request become official, Oklahoma City is assuredly set to become a name in those discussions.
Let’s first answer the more important of the two questions: is it possible?
With a bevy of future draft assets, young prospects and more, Oklahoma City has long been mentioned as a sleeper on the NBA trade market. And with tradable contracts littering the roster, they would indeed have the theoretical ammo.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only current player under a max contract for OKC, with stars like Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and plenty of others still in their rookies deals.
But does it make sense?
While the near-7-foot forward who would slot in perfectly to the Thunder’s system does make sense from an on-court perspective, it doesn’t in most others.
Firstly, with Devin Booker as the epicenter of the their franchise, Phoenix won’t go into full rebuild mode. Rather, they’ll re-tool around him in hopes of getting back to the coveted NBA Finals. On that line of thinking, OKC won’t have much to offer back, so a third team would likely be necessary, making things all the murkier.
And while Durant is still currently playing at an All-NBA caliber, there’s certainly no guarantee he can for much longer at 35-years-old. The Thunder could soon make a splash on the trade market, but nabbing a star who’s 10 years the senior of their own superstar doesn’t check some of the most important boxes in terms of long-term contention.
While Durant could soon be on the move, the chances he lands back in Oklahoma City are likely slim to none.
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