Penn: Thunder may trade Kevin Durant if they can't get a commitment

Kevin Durant for Blake Griffin and filler. CP3 and DJ seem to play with better chemistry without Griffin. Blake is locked up long term and he is a local Okie, which would allow the Thunder not to take such a public relations hit if they make the trade. A big three of Russ, Serge, and Blake would keep the Thunder legitimate and might sway Westbrook from considering leaving in future free agency....

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ke3xmp2

 

He won't give commitment to resign anywhere but with his boy harden

 

Durant to Houston. The chips are falling. Let OKC put their chips on the table for Mr. Fools Gold.

 

Great idea to trade for a guy that has been in and out for this and last season with nagging foot injuries and a scary jones fracture which resulted in many careers ending early.

Rockets fans sure love injury-prone max players that retire too early.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-_K3gWqaBk

 

If they seriously were going to deal him, that would make as much sense as any. Clippers would probably become favorites out West.

Of course, I want Durant on the Rockets badly, and my next choice would be for him to go East and that way we never have to go through Durant & Lebron.

 

A "big 3" with two of the guys playing the same position? Highly doubt a line-up with Briffin and Ibaka playing together would work. Lack of size, packing the paint, etc. Don't see why OKC would do this.

 

Why wouldn't it work? They are both big, and Ibaka is leading the league in blocks for the 5th straight season, so he is the rim protector. Both have good jump shots to spread the floor.

 

Lebron was traded to the heat in a sign and trade deal for a bunch of draft picks.

 

6'9 and 6'10 are not what should be considered as big. Also, both are averaging barely 7.5rpg this season. Don't think this duo would work against teams with a true center and post scoring. OKC would have to run up and down to make this work somehow, but don't think you'd win anything in the playoffs.

 

Kobe got traded as well. Hope his comment was sarcastic.

 

I've thought for quite some time that unless he's dead-set on becoming a Wizard, the 76ers might be the perfect team for KD as a FA, and it still gets him back on the East coast.

I already know everyone's reaction ... "Yeah, the reigning MVP wants to go sign up with one of the worst teams in the NBA"

But think about where the Cavs were 18 months ago, and how 1 decision by and MVP Small Forward in his prime turned them into the East favorite in 1 off-season.


Let's assume Embiid is not the next Oden, and he comes back next year to have a solid rookie year similar to what Noel has done this year coming back from a major leg injury.

Let's also assume the draft lotto falls their way this time and they get the player they desperately need: D'Angelo Russell

Then consider they could have enough cap money in 2016 to sign KD & another Max player outright from this potential class, plus still have money left over to create a real NBA bench:
BIGS: LBJ Love Dwight Horford Noah PGasol Dirk AJefferson BLopez
GUARDS: Conley DWade DeRozan Dragic MEllis
ROLE/BENCH: JGreen, RAnderson, JJohnson, Deng, Afflalo, WChandler, DWest, JRSmith, CourtLee, Batum, ETurner, AF Aminu, DLee, EdDavis

Then just look at the stash of other 2015 picks Hinkie has accumulated:
2015
1st round pick - Heat (unless it falls in top 10)
1st round pick - Lakers (unless it falls in the top 5)
1st round pick - Thunder (unless it falls in top 18)
2nd round pick - Denver or Minnesota (whichever is the worse)
2nd round pick - Warriors
2nd round pick - Rockets
2nd round pick - Pelicans
2nd round pick - Magic

I can make a pretty good case that, if Durant is intent on returning to the East Coast, the 76ers could offer a better situation for Durant then the Cavs offered LBJ.

For OKC, they cannot find a team stocked with more young, cheap, flexible assets than PHI.
When superstars like Durant want out, these things never turn into a bidding war anyway ... the former team just takes what it can from the new team.

But, Presti would probably have his pick of either Russell (or other top 5 2015 pick), Embiid, or Noel as a future star to pair with Westbrook, plus any combination of future draft picks that no other bidder can offer.

For Durant, he gets to step into a situation custom-made for a superstar scorer:
- 2 young, potentially elite big men who provide low-post scoring (Embiid) and defense (Embiid + Noel).
- Cap room to recruit another star to come join him from free agency (Maybe Conley if MEM pays Gasol and can't afford both)
- Assets and flexibility galore to instantly, completely remold the team around him in a way that perfectly compliments his style to form an instant contender ... and not with vet min guys like Mike Miller or Shawn Marion

Why settle for a big 3 like MIA or CLE when he could build a big 4 in PHI, but not have to share the ball with a teammate like Westbrook?
And this team would have instant depth and talent on the bench, unlike previous shallow Big 3 models.

Just imagine this lineup (2016 cap number):
C - Embiid($4.8M) / Ed Davis($1.1M)
PF - Noel($4.4M) / Jeff Green($9.2M)
SF - Durant($20.0M) / Covington($1.0M)
SG - Courtney Lee($5.7M) / Wroten($3.2M)
PG - Conley($18.0M) / Canaan($1.2M)

Still only $68.6M total payroll using my numbers
Seems much better than anything WASH could put around a core of Durant and Wall.

 

Kobe got tarded to L.A. Lakers, didn't he?

 

Westbrook goes to 76ers. Mark my words.

 

The real name of the writer for this article : Better Forkoff.

 

My boy Lil B aint about that Kevin Durant trade.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vtE3_voC3qU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

I wouldn't in a million years see Durant getting traded. However, if it DID happen, then I would never in a BILLION years see OKC trading him to a team in the West. There's no way they would risk watching Durant AND Harden both dominate the West on different teams.

 

According to espns approved KD trades for every team, houston would give up Howard& ariza for Durant & kanter

 

Moral of the story? Never ever trade your best player. The whole team will crumble around that trade. Of course, I refer to Harden.

 

How about a Butler SnT, Mirotic and 1 #1s?

How about Bosh and Whiteside?

How about the Knixies #1, and oh never mind...