Kevin Durant is below contract for yet one more yr with the Brooklyn Nets, however primarily based on the bevy of experiences and leaks on the extraordinarily fluid Kyrie melodrama and its potential fallout, his employment is unstable. That uncertainty has spawned a large number of choices for Durant, however solely the Portland Trailblazers have taken their gross sales pitch to Mad Males ranges. It began with Jusuf Nurkić quote-tweeting the picture of a Durant-Lillard photoshop, and including an emoji that implied Durant was the lacking piece. Damian Lillard shared the identical picture on his Instagram web page. Lillard desperately taking pictures his shot at KD isn’t as environment friendly because the Golden State Warriors getting the entire gang collectively for his or her Hamptons pitch to Durant in 2016, however this may increasingly have been the opening salvo.
Kevin Durant’s older brother tried to throw flame retardant on the grease fireplace Lillard kicked up, however the problem had already gained an excessive amount of traction for a tertiary determine to squash. Moreover, the Blazers would possibly take advantage of sense within the present panorama. Durant provides Portland the incendiary companion who can lastly give Lillard an higher hand towards Golden State. After placing Golden excessive, doing the identical factor with Steph Lite would salvage his rep after he did not capitalize on a stacked Nets lineup from 2021 by early 2022. Durant has been related to virtually each single star level guard of his era. He’s performed the two-man sport with Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, James Harden, and Irving. Two of these three partnerships have gone bitter. Durant can be higher off going for 2010 Level Guard Bingo with Lillard, who’s constructed from the leftover Curry mould.
In contrast to Curry, Lillard has been going stag throughout a participant empowerment period the place superstars have taken the lead in arranging their very own mergers. Lillard’s push for Durant is the final word full-circle second. The Blazers already had their probability to land Durant in 2008. All they needed to do was take him with the highest decide within the 2007 NBA Draft.
Earlier than the daybreak of positionless basketball and philosophies on flooring spacing reigned supreme, Greg Oden match the then-contemporary mannequin for a franchise participant. Durant was the primary unicorn of this period. Durant was clearly the extra full offensive expertise, however whereas the common scores had been sometimes slowed down within the excessive 80s, low 90s, a plodding massive was the best decide. In 2007, the NBA was nonetheless a copycat league. Former Texas massive LaMarcus Aldridge and Oden had been a straightforward bridge to promote as the following Twin Towers duo.
Had Portland been in a position to harness a wholesome Oden, perhaps they wouldn’t be within the precarious state of affairs they’re in as we speak. It’s been 15 years because the Blazers chosen Greg Oden over Durant they usually’re nonetheless pining over him. Durant’s virtuoso sport would slot completely beside Lillard, Jerami Grant, and Jusuf Nurkić — if he re-signs subsequent month.
From the Nets’ perspective, Brooklyn has probably the most promising property to supply. Anfernee Simons or their latest lottery decide, Shaedon Sharpe, and future picks are superior prospects to protected firsts from Durant suitors that anticipate to be drafting exterior the highest 20 for the following few seasons. Sharpe has the potential to be the perfect wing from this draft, however the scouting report on him is thinner than Chet Holmgren after he sat out your complete season at Kentucky to reclassify from the 2022 class.
Anfernee Simons is a perfect Irving alternative and a future top-20 participant who may thrive alongside Ben Simmons. That deal would solely work as a sign-and-trade for Simmons, who’s a restricted free agent this summer time, though the Blazers are anticipated to match any supply he receives from groups.
Durant appears to have a latent affinity for the Toronto Raptors. Nonetheless, Masai Ujiri would doubtless must give up some package deal that features the promising Scottie Barnes. Pascal Siakam is Toronto’s finest participant in the meanwhile, however he and Fred Van Vleet comprise what’s left of the core that defeated the (hobbled) Warriors within the 2019 NBA Finals. What they’ve plus Durant could also be adequate to get them 50 wins, however that would go away Durant carrying the load on a scrappy, intelligent, well-coached-but-outgunned playoff roster.
A Celtics’ supply of Jalen Brown and a number of picks can be engaging for Brooklyn, however would Boston be keen to interrupt up an NBA Finals runner-up? They’ve obtained a younger core that performs soul-crushing protection towards 29 out of 30 groups. Brown continues to be a wholesome, 25-year-old All-Star. For all of his items, good well being has not been one for the previous three seasons. Though he stays a power to be reckoned with, Durant has missed 126 video games since tearing his achilles in 2019. A Skinny Towers lineup can be the most important upside to an Oklahoma Metropolis reunion. Whereas Durant, Holmgren, and Poku are a cool novelty, they don’t match Durant’s timeline. Durant again in Golden State is an unlikely situation and after all of the flack he caught from signing with them after they misplaced within the Finals, he would by no means reside down chasing one other title in Curry’s city.
A Durant-Lillard pairing is the perfect of each worlds. There was a time when Lillard and Curry had been regarded as peas in a pod. Since then, Lillard has been the Clyde Drexler to Curry’s MJ. He’s 8-26 towards Curry within the common season, 0-10 within the postseason and 4 titles behind. What higher strategy to lastly make a run on the Warriors than by luring Durant to Portland as his championship sherpa? Uplifting a basketball metropolis that’s ravenous throughout their near-50 yr title drought besides can be one hell of a strategy to get again on equal footing.
