Here are what I believe are the top 10 offers that could be made by teams to acquire Kevin Durant.
1. Toronto Raptors
Best offer: OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., and 3 first round picks OR Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and 4 first round picks
The Raptors are one of the few teams in the league who have a good amount of young talent as well as all of their future first round picks. This allows them to make this monster offer and potentially add KD to their team. A trio of VanVleet, Siakam, and KD would be decent, especially with Nick Nurse calling the plays, but I think by adding FVV into this trade and potentially another first, Toronto is one of the few teams who could also get Kyrie Irving in a deal (if KD truly does still want to play with him). Masai Ujiri hasn’t been shy to make big win-now moves in the past and this could potentially be another one. I also believe that Brooklyn would be enamored adding last years rookie of the year to their rebuilding squad.
2. New Orleans Pelicans
Best offer: Brandon Ingram, Dyson Daniels, Jaxson Hayes, Trey Murphy, and 4+ first round picks
The biggest question for the Pelicans is if they want to give up Ingram, who is 9 years younger than Durant, in order to immediately contend for a championship. Despite being a small market, the Pelicans would have one of the most exciting duos in the league with KD and Zion. Not to mention, they have a plethora of first round picks from the Lakers and Bucks which they can trade. For the Nets, teaming up the first and second picks from the 2016 draft is intriguing along with replenishing their young core. New Orleans is a potential Durant destination to keep a keen eye on.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
Best offer: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 2 of Jalen Williams, Ousmane Dieng, or Aleksej Pokusevski, and 6+ first round picks
The Thunder are an obvious player in the Durant sweepstakes given that they have the most first round picks of any NBA team for the foreseeable future. Shai would have to be a part of the deal to make the money work and they would have to part with at least six of their firsts to put together a reasonable offer. Despite this, I’m not sure whether OKC or Durant would be open to a reunion considering that even if they acquire KD, the Thunder are still a few years away from contention. A return to Oklahoma City would be crazy for Durant’s legacy and they would have the cap flexibility to sign a big fish in 2023 free agency (a reunion with Kyrie Irving?).
4. Boston Celtics
Best offer: Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart or Derrick White, and 2 first round picks
As a team that just made the NBA Finals and swept KD and the Nets in the first round, I think it is unlikely that Boston would make this deal. Although, a rumor that Jaylen Brown wants to be a number one option and will test free agency when he’s able to has surfaced, making trading him more viable. A scoring duo of Durant and Tatum would be deadly and nearly unstoppable. The champion experience that KD brings to a team could push the Celtics over the edge and allow them to win their 18th championship next year along with even more in the coming years.
5. Los Angeles Lakers
Best offer: Anthony Davis, Talen Horton-Tucker, and 2 first round picks
Maybe this trade should be ranked a little higher, but with AD’s injury history and the lack of draft capital, I have it here. The Lakers would be foolish not to at least make this offer to Brooklyn in an attempt to pair up two likely top 10 players of all-time (Durant and Westbrook, of course). Like last off-season, this would bring a lot of hype to the Lakers and would give them the best duo in Los Angeles. I’d love for the Nets to give Davis a chance to recover his image and show how dominant he can be, especially if Irving stays and is his running mate (two players with championships overshadowed by other stars). I think this is one of the more likely deals on this list if L.A. is willing to part with AD.
6. Golden State Warriors
Best offer: Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, James Wiseman, Patrick Baldwin Jr. or Moses Moody, and a first round pick
This is another move that doesn’t seem very likely since the Warriors just won the championship without Durant, but the package is still nice and not too crazy. This would be a questionable move that would require KD to repent for his mistakes if he were to return to Golden State. They would maintain their spot as favorites to win the 2023 NBA championship and would guarantee that the Warriors contend for the rest of Curry’s career. This isn’t a necessary trade but rather a luxury; if KD comes back to Golden State and they win a few more rings, this would truly be one of the greatest dynasties in the history of sports.
7. Chicago Bulls
Best offer: Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, Coby White, and 2 or 3 first round picks
Despite just resigning to the Bulls on a massive deal, Zach LaVine could still be the centerpiece of a sign-and-trade for Durant. I believe that he would fit well with a Bulls team that is already built to contend. The one thing Chicago is missing is a superstar and Durant fits that bill. The return for Brooklyn isn’t terrible as they get an all-star and two younger players. If nothing else, Durant would still get to play in a big market.
8. Phoenix Suns
Best offer: DeAndre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Landry Shamet, and 3 first round picks
Phoenix has been mentioned as a preferred landing spot for Kevin Durant and they have the expendable pieces to make the splash. The more I look at this deal, however, the worse that it appears; especially when compared to some of the others on this post. It may come down to whether Sean Marks wants to send KD somewhere that he’d like to play (like Phoenix) or if he simply wants to acquire the best possible package. If he chooses the latter, I wouldn’t expect KD to end up in a Suns jersey.
9. Portland Trail Blazers
Best offer: Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, Nassir Little, Eric Bledsoe, and 3 first picks
After Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic tampered by posting a swap of Durant on the Trail Blazers this past week, this would be an interesting landing spot for him. I don’t think that this team would be much of a finals contender given their weak depth, but teaming up two of the best closers in the league would be awesome to see. This is a haul to consider if Brooklyn wants to go full rebuild and it would give them some nice building blocks to start with.
10. Miami Heat
Best offer: Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Max Strus, Nikola Jovic, and 2 first round picks OR Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, Duncan Robinson, and 2 first round picks for Kevin Durant AND Ben Simmons
Miami is another preferred destination of Durant’s, however, the Heat are unable to include Bam Adebayo in the deal unless Ben Simmons is a part of it due to a restriction. The Heat are another team that is a preferred option for KD and they could potentially acquire both him and Kyrie, it would just require a third team (such as the Kings) to take Adebayo. Pat Riley and the Heat always seem to be in the rumors for star players and this may be the time that they make another move for a superstar (or two), even though their offer isn’t quite as appealing as others.
Bonus Trades:
Memphis Grizzlies
Best offer: Jaren Jackson Jr., Dillon Brooks, Ziaire Williams, and 3 first round picks
Utah Jazz
Best offer: Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and 3 first round picks