The trade request from Kevin Durant has put a halt on all other moves in the NBA getting done. Teams are waiting to see if they will be lucky winners of the Durant sweepstakes as the Brooklyn Nets canvas the league for trade offers.
The asking price for Durant is very high and rightfully so. Not only does he remain one of the most dominant players in the league, but his extension is also a four-year guaranteed pact. So, whoever acquires him, will have him under contract through 2026 with no options or opt-ins.
Brooklyn is reportedly looking for an amount of draft picks that would likely be record-breaking. What the LA Clippers traded away for Paul George and the Los Angeles Lakers offered for Anthony Davis are baselines for what Brooklyn is looking for. Despite the sky-high asking price, at least half of the league has placed a call about acquiring him.
That should come as no surprise. Durant is a generational talent and would make virtually any team in the NBA a contender upon his arrival. While teams are doing their due diligence, the Toronto Raptors are a team people are keeping a close eye on.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Toronto Raptors Must Go All-In On Kevin Durant Trade Talks
Toronto has a great leader in their front office in Masai Ujiri and they are confident that they have a competitive offer for Durant.
“I can confirm that not only are the Raptors ‘lurking,’ but they also feel they can put together the best package of assets the Brooklyn Nets are likely to get. Confidence isn’t the word for it, but optimism might be. There is also a sense – though it’s reading tea leaves at this stage, as teams can’t communicate directly with Durant, who remains under contract with the Nets – that the two-time champion and 11-time all-NBA force of nature is at least open to the possibility of playing in Toronto.”
The Toronto Raptors can start an offer with Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet or OG Anunoby as the centerpiece. Gary Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes Jr. are two younger players that could pique the interest of Brooklyn and they have their allotment of draft picks going forward.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Toronto Raptors Must Go All-In On Kevin Durant Trade Talks
That would certainly be a competitive offer and depending on what the Brooklyn Nets think of those players, it could very easily be the best one as Toronto thinks it is. Not being able to communicate with Kevin Durant complicates things, as a team acquiring him could face this dilemma in a few years if it isn’t a team that he wants to play with.
Will Toronto take that risk? They have already shown once when they acquired Kawhi Leonard that they are willing to make a big move if it means being able to win.
