Kevin Durant to be traded this offseason by Suns per Brian Windhorst

Really depends on the picks.

GSW offering 3 of their own picks is not the same value as the picks PHX would expect from the Rockets - PHX own picks.

Honestly, I feel like they ought to be giving me something for helping them solve their problems.

It's their team that's underperforming
It's their team that is well over the 2A
It's their team that can't cover a baby with a blanket


For the Rockets, adding Durant is sure a talent upgrade but it also brings its own set of problems - who does he displace from the deepest position group on the team, cap issues, a 2/122 extension (can't go longer because of the over 38 rule). When do the wheels fall off?

Durant might make sense for a mostly veteran team but not this young squad and what do you have left after the trade? It takes ~$45m in outgoing salary just to match so if you aren't shipping FVV out in the deal it's either Jalen and another 12m or Brooks and another 25m. That means Jalen and another player that's part of the core or Brooks and two of them.

Think I'll pass& hold onto my assets ....

 

I’ll take a flyer on Durant at the right price and that price is FVV + this year’s Phx pick and 1 other highly protected Rocket pick. That probably has little chance of happening. I also think Durant has a lot to say about where he wants to go and Houston ain’t it. I’m not giving Phoenix any of our young players with exception of maybe Cam who is blocked on this team, even if he miraculously finds a brain.

 

Don't be so surprised, honestly it seems like a perfect mirror of the Kyrie to Dallas situation.

- Yes he has leverage, and
- No one wants to max him at that reliability and age, so Suns have no leverage whatsoever

I think Phoenix will find this summer that if they don't trade him to the team of his choice, the other teams will neither want to let him walk in a year nor pay him big bucks. So he won't be worth more than a good FRP.

I have a very strong feeling KD will be traded for essentially less than 2 picks and a good role player. If he agrees to a 1-year max extension, I would consider it. If he agrees to a 2-year non-max declining extension, I'd also do it.

Best fit ever if we can pull it off safely. He retires when the core is ready to take over. In the meantime he's the perfect hired gun who doesn't like to run the point and has immense playoff experience. Great practice habits apparently.

I have the opposite view of most on this board: I want an older vet, I don't need a 25-year old 1B on this team. Give me a guy who can win a Finals MVP over a guy who's still thinking about individual accolades and money. We lack shooting and experience, nothing else.

 

We are also missing good offensive coaching. Durant in replace of Dillon will help make up for that. Amen, Jalen, Durant, Jabari, Sengun is a contending calibre starting unit. Durant’s shooting opens up so much for Jalen and Amen and Ime wouldn’t have to be too creative on offense. We would still need to sign a backup PG of some worth, but a bench that includes Tari and Dillon and maybe Adams is championship quality.

 

the more the suns win the less valuable the pick becomes the larger the asking price for Durant will be...

 

Agreed.

One positive thing is: Durant will call Ime out for bad coaching and the organization will prioritize Durant's voice. Ime right now is protected by the fact that the young guys are really young and don't have a real voice in the organization/league and their stats are deflated from 2 years of Stone/Silas and 2 years of Ime.

Could really unlock everything and as you said make Ime's life easier too.

 

Please give up a lot of assets so they are back to middling in no time.

 

I don't think Wemby's going to play in the League very long. His current issues alone could easily cause him to retire early. Then, when you add in the problems usually associated with freakishly long players...

 

His best comparison ever is the young Ralph Sampson. That didn’t end well…

 

If this is true, KD would be stupidly making the same mistake again chasing big names (Booker+Beal / Wemby+Fox) despite the fit isn't there.
i don't think the 13th seed Spurs with 1yr older KD, less the talents required to trade out, is much better than the 11th seed Suns. KD needs defensive hustle talents like Tari/Amen, low post presents like Alpi, defensive structure like Ime's team. KD is the missing puzzle of this current Rockets team, although only a 2-3 years window.

 

If the price is low, then yes, but otherwise no. We're talking maybe Cam with a single first at best. KD is liable to break down at any moment, he is not Lebron.

 

I'd rather trade for Bol Bol

 

Lol this dude is always trying to team up somewhere. Soft af

 

we need to win this year. KD likes a sure thing

 

The problem is he is always complaining. I don't know if I want him to disrupt the roster. If they will take Cam and picks sure

 

There is no way for a Cam and picks deal to work. The outgoing salaries have to match up to a point. It would take adding FVV to get the salaries close. I do not want to see this team add anyone on the wrong side of 30 and Durant is on the wrong side of 35. He will be going down hill very soon. There is no way I would give up any assets for him.

 

The only thing that makes even a little bit of sense is Brooks + Jock + Reed + Holiday. The salary works there I think. KD is still likely to be an upgrade over Brooks (for a year or two, three if you're VERY lucky). You don't trade away FVV if your goal is to swing for a title next season, which is the only reason you trade for KD.

I've soured so much on the idea that the only way I'd even do that deal above is if that's all they get. (I mean, maybe some SRPs, or a heavily-protected Rockets FRP.) Those Phoenix picks are going to be real good, that's a highly incompetent front office which has badly hamstrung itself to boot.