NBA Trades: Four teams that could make realistic offers for Kevin Durant
Memphis Grizzlies F Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brooklyn Nets F Kevin Durant (7) — Petre Thomas, USA TODAY Sports
NBA Trades: Memphis accelerates the quest for its first title.
Similarly to Toronto, the Memphis Grizzlies are uniquely positioned to trade a handful of impact players in a deal and still compete for the title. One of the best organizations at drafting and developing players over the last half-decade, Memphis boasts a lively rotation with even more prospects waiting on the wing for their shot at NBA minutes. Building around superstar-in-the-making Ja Morant, the Grizzlies’ meteoric rise to the top of the Western Conference was predicated on a culture that fits nicely with Kevin Durant’s personality.
No matter how the deal is constructed, the Grizzlies will have to part with players they’d prefer to keep in any Durant trade. But if they were to pivot toward building a contender around the duo of Durant and Morant, it’s more about picking the best of a difficult situation and figuring the rest out through development, free agency and chemistry.
Nets Get
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Dillon Brooks
Brandon Clarke
First-Round Picks
Grizzlies Get
Kevin Durant
Trading Jaren Jackson Jr. at this stage of his career would be a tough pill to swallow, but a necessary evil to make this Durant deal work. Not only is his $28.9 million salary a key financial component in the trade, but Jackson Jr.’s theoretical fit with Simmons would entice Brooklyn; possibly lowering the asking price on draft compensation. Also included are Dillon Brooks, a good but not great rotation piece with a hard-nosed, physical play style, and Brandon Clarke, a hoops statistician’s darling with excellent touch near the rim and mobility at the four.
Keeping breakout two-guard Desmond Bane out of a Durant trade would be a massive win for the Grizzlies, ensuring a Morant-Bane-Ziare Williams-Durant-Steven Adams lineup that could go toe-to-toe with any team in either conference. The more important question for the Grizzlies’ front office is ‘Will a Durant trade be worth breaking up all that was built over the last five years?’
That’s a question for another day.
<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Nets Get</div> <div class="info">OG Anunoby</div> <div class="info">Gary Trent Jr.</div> <div class="info">Precious Achiuwa</div> <div class="info">First-Round Picks</div> </div> </div> <div class="separator"></div> <div class="team b"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/09/nba-trades-teams-realistic-kevin-durant/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fraptors.png"/>!["NBA](https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/09/nba-trades-teams-realistic-kevin-durant/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2249,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2017%2F07%2F18681178.jpeg")
August 8, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/09/nba-trades-teams-realistic-kevin-durant/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<p>With this in mind, it seems like Kevin Durant might be the next superstar on the move.</p>
<h2>Which NBA trades for Durant could realistically come to light?</h2>
<p>It’s historically unprecedented for one of the 10 greatest individual basketball talents of all-time to request a trade with four years on his contract. Should this deal come to light, it projects to be one of the biggest NBA trades the game will ever witness. Between proven talent, rising stars and a treasure trove of draft picks, Brooklyn will unabashedly ask for teams to empty their war chests for a chance at the former MVP.</p>
<p>Any trade for Kevin Durant will require at least one player who can help the Nets compete immediately, at least one young piece to develop over time and considerable draft consideration. Not every team has the pieces to make a splash at this level, but there are four teams in particular with the flexibility and guts to pull it off.</p>
<p><em>Please note that the number of first-round picks in these mock trades will be unspecified. Each of the teams being discussed control most, if not all of their first-round picks. This is unexplored territory, so it’s hard to say how many picks it will take to make a deal happen.</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/09/nba-trades-teams-realistic-kevin-durant/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 1. Toronto Raptors </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_447410" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/09/nba-trades-teams-realistic-kevin-durant/3/"https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/17359623.jpeg">!["NBA](https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/09/nba-trades-teams-realistic-kevin-durant/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2017%2F07%2F17359623.jpeg")
!["NBA](https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/09/nba-trades-teams-realistic-kevin-durant/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2017%2F07%2F17956012.jpeg")
![""](https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/09/nba-trades-teams-realistic-kevin-durant/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2286,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2017%2F07%2F18080003.jpeg")
!["NBA](https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/09/nba-trades-teams-realistic-kevin-durant/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2017%2F07%2F18123798.jpeg")
