Shams on Pat McAfee show saying Rockets and Kevin Durant had mutual interest in trade

Mat Ishbia is loathe to rebuild the Suns and the one and the only way it would makes sense to do so is getting their draft picks back from the Rockets.

 

If they're cool with a Costco size bag of Doritos - Let's go!

 

My guess is the Suns will prefer good players back (over picks) since they're trying to re-tool around Booker.

I doubt the rockets give up early on their top prospects and I don't think Fred VanVleet will cut it when compared to the guys other teams may be willing to give up.

I'm fine with just using the picks or trading them to someone else down the road. I'm not sure how the Suns get much better from trading one of the best scorers of all time for scrap parts. So, the value is still there. There's no point in panic selling.

 

He's on a minimum deal right now - Maybe you get him for the taxpayer MLE?

I was just adding him to replace FVV and he might be the best option on the FA market, any other starter level replacement probably has to come via trade.

 

We just need TWO shooters. I love KD but he's old. Same w/FVV.

 

The problem with that is it's not just the Rockets who own their picks - Washington, Brooklyn & Utah all have a stake in this:

Houston 25 swap rights
Washington 26 swap rights
27 Houston
28 Washington owns their own pick and the least favorable of PHX, BKN and PHI
29 Houston gets the two most favorable of its own pick, Dallas & PHX picks and BKN will receive the least favorable of the three
30 Washington swap, then Memphis has the right to swap its 2030 1st round pick for the less favorable of the PHX pick and the WAS pick
31 Utah

Even if they get back 25 & 27, it's not realistic to tank every other year .... They really screwed themselves.

 

sounds great. Extension expected @130 for 2 years; 3 years total in vicinity of ONE HUNDRED NINETY MILLION for ages 38, 39, 40. I’m fine with the Ambassador’s liras err euros err American $ spending that on him.

I am just not comfortable with the players + picks expended.

I ‘hear’ Coach is big fan of KD. So am I.

But. At. What. Cost❓❓❓

 

It isn't just their fans, the media around the Suns believes that they are going to get a large haul for Kevin Durant. John Gambadoro has discussed multiple unprotected picks and assets going back to the Suns.

I get that Lebron James is 40 years old and the argument is that he is still playing at a very high level - so that means that Durant at 37 years old should be able to play another 3-4 years if he wants to. However, LBJ and Kareem are the only players to play to 40 at a star level and show interest in continuing. Also - James has essentially never been really injured, and Durant has missed multiple seasons with injuries.... he missed over half the season in 2014, in 2019 he missed the entire season and he missed all of 2022.

Kevin Durant is an amazing player - at worst the third best player of his generation (sorry Harden) and can still stroke it, but it would be very foolish to trade a large amount for a player at his age and with his injury history.

I don't know that the Knicks or Wolves have the assets to make a deal. Perhaps Popovich decides to dump his assets to run out Wemby, KD and Fox.

I just don't think KD gets the Rockets past OKC.

 

I get it, but I don’t want to trade Brooks, green or Sengun for him.

I think a lot of the positive qualities that VanVleet brings could be replicated by swapping him and some assets for Durant. Maybe not the point guard play But the shot making would go up and Durant is actually an underrated defender if you can keep him closer to the rim.

I actually think that Brooks has leveled up and I expect this level of played continue and want to keep him the next two years. Maybe bring him off the bench.

I also think you could develop an offense that works with the starting lineup of

Sengun
Durant
Brooks
Green
Amen

 

I think Udoka would be salivating over a guy shooting 44% from 3 and 54% from the field....... the problem is that he is 37 years old with a lengthy history of injuries and someone else will over pay for him because he is still elite when he is on the court. He is averaging 27/6/4/1/1 with an EFG of 60%.

Any team that thinks they are a piece away from a title would give their first born for someone like Durant that can hit 20 footers at 50% in his sleep.

 

I don't know about that...... Wemby/Fox/KD/Johnson can do things. Wemby will likely take another large step..... Fox is very good... and they would still have useful pieces coming back even if they get KD.

 

How can we get him at a low cost when he's set to make just shy of 55 million next year? We've got to throw lots of salary into that deal. And supposedly they're demanding a young star in the trade. I wouldn't even throw in Cam or Reed in a Durant deal. He's been injury prone for years. His teams have underperformed for years. And instead of taking accountability for being the leader of underperforming teams, he blames everybody but himself and blows everything up by demanding out. No thank you.

 

I'm not sure how you figure. We own their picks, which gives us the advantage over anyone. I just don't even want Durant.

 

We need a consistent sg. He can fill that role.

A starting 5 of monster sized athletes: Amen, KD, Tari, Bari and Sengun

 

I have serious reservations about Wemby's health moving forward as well as the timeline.

 

What they’re demanding, and what they’ll actually get are 2 completely different things. U wouldn’t throw Cam, the bench gunner who hasn’t even been part of the rotation for large portions of the season, into a deal? Really?

KD wasn’t even demanding out of PHX, they’re the ones who initiated trade talks on him behind his back.

 

The report is "mutual interest". Which means Durant wanted out.

Regardless, he leads teams into the toilet and I don't want him. The only success he's had was when he had another mvp level player on his team that could be the actual leader. We don't have that.

 

I would argue Reed and Brooks maybe even worse pieces to trade than Jalen in a situation where the Rockets are getting KD. You can replace Jalen's shots with KD's for the most part. But KD isn't going to do the dirty work of Brooks and the Rockets are better off with Reed with some experience to fit KD's timeline as opposed to some draft pick 2 years down the road.

 

I think KD has some say in it since he will be signing a new contract with whoever trades for him. Not entirely out of the realm that a team outside KD’s preferred group would talk themselves into a potential rental.

 

yes, he wanted out after he became aware that PHX had involved him in trade talks…he was not demanding out, and then PHX started looking for trade partners…he did not initiate an exit out of there

u talk as if the Rockets would acquire KD and then that would be the end…no more team building, no more team assembly, just KD and then the team will remain stagnant from there moving forward

he is simply a piece that provides things we are sorely lacking at a very high level

the Suns are 33-29 with KD this season, 2-12 without him

the Nets his final season there were 26-13 with him, 6-9 without him