mpharris36 wrote:Knicksfan1992 wrote:snadler wrote:?s=46&t=a_8CJE4oxCPxhwUi5hQ4Zg
Isn't the above trade not possible because the Suns are deep in the 2nd apron?
Suns can add 2 players or 3 players for Durant...they just can aggregate Durant with another player to match salary purposes. It has to be Durant going out by himself.
But the only way to do a Durant trade for us since we are over the 1st apron is.
KAT basically straight up
or
Mikal + OG
or
Mikal + Josh Hart + Mitch
basically the only trade that sort of makes sense is KAT straight up but even then that is super risky short term move. And KAT was a better player than KD last year and younger and healthier. I get the case you can probably trust KD in the playoffs for next year more. But I don't know if we should be making that risky of a move because our windown completely shuts with another KD injury.
Thanks for clearing that up!
Yeah I think the only scenario where trading for KD makes sense is one that involves Towns going out. A defensive frontcourt of Durant/Towns combined with Brunson at the 1 while losing some of your best wing defenders, in the process, is disastrous to me. We'd become Suns East....
I'm not big on acquiring KD. I think people still look at the numbers and think "oh he's elite!" still.. If you actually watch him play he's become pretty diminished from what he once was. He doesn't get to the rim, basically, at all anymore. He wasn't necessarily a high "rim attempts" number guy to begin with. In GS he would take roughly 4-5 attempts a game at the rim. He's down to around 2 in Phoenix.
For reference, everyone's punching bag for being soft around the rim around here (Mikal Bridges) took roughly 3.5 shots from less than 5 feet this year. So markedly higher than KD this past year.
His free throws per 100 possessions has dropped markedly since he was in Brooklyn. In Brooklyn he got to the line roughly 10 times per 100 possessions. In PHX, he's gotten down to 7.5 times per 100 possession.
These are all things that generally continue to worsen with age/wear and tear and they are 2 of the most important areas of the floor in terms of maintaining efficiency and also keeping your bag varied as an offensive fulcrum.
So basically KD has just reverted into being a pure jump shooter. Which is fine because he's still really good at it but, it's not necessarily going to lend itself to some dynamic offensive shift that makes shipping Towns worth it IMO. Also if he sees any age related drop off in his jumper (specifically his pullup) then, we would have a serious problem on our hands.
On top of all that, he will want a massive extension for what surely will be his last pay day.
All that being said, I get the argument for it... KD for all those faults I laid out is still remarkably more consistent than Towns in terms of smart/efficient play, being at worst a neutral defensive presence, and generally being more reliable on offense. You won't see KD get into foul trouble in a big game or pick up stupid illegal screen calls. He won't just drive like a chicken with his head cut off. That steadiness is a valuable upgrade and something to consider.
I still lean no on doing it because factoring in age, injury history, and natural decline I just don't think it's worth the risk of losing Towns as an asset for a diminishing valued asset like KD. I also still believe we can build a winner around Brunson/KAT but, maybe I'm in the minority with that opinion.
Don’t ruin these rumors with reality
