Kevin Durant has a three-team preferred destination list for a trade. Those three teams are the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Charania pointed out that at least six to eight other teams are interested in Durant. Brian Windhorst of ESPN said that the Raptors and Clippers are two teams that are “lurking” in the Durant sweepstakes. How would Durant fit on the Raptors and Clippers if either of them were able to pull off a trade?
How Kevin Durant would fit on the Toronto Raptors
Durant would fit nicely with the Raptors. The Raptors have a lot of players who could complement Durant nicely, but they don’t necessarily have an elite talent that could carry the team alongside Durant. RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickly are a trio of young players who could benefit greatly if joined by Durant.
Durant on the Raptors would elevate Toronto as a whole, but would it make them contenders? Maybe for the playoffs. Durant has been most successful throughout his career when surrounded by other superstars. The best example is the obvious one when he won his championships with the Warriors. At this stage of his career, it might be hard to expect Durant to take a Raptors team that finished last season at 30-52 to a championship when he hasn’t won a championship in his career being the main guy.
It’s a good fit in theory, but Durant by himself wouldn’t make Toronto contenders by himself.
How Kevin Durant Would Fit On the Clippers
This is the one that would make a lot of sense. Although Durant and Harden were teammates in Brooklyn and it didn’t work out, you pair those two with Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers are a scary team. The problem is the huge salaries that are on the Clipper’s books. Harden is making 35 million per year, Kawhi is making 49 million per season, and Kevin Durant is set to make over 50 million next year. If the Clippers were to make this trade, they’d likely have to part with someone from their roster that they like.
Last Thoughts
Both of these teams are rumored to be on the outside for Kevin Durant’s services, so the likelihood of either of them acquiring Durant is slim. Crazier things have happened, and this is just what’s being reported at this current time.
