Spurs could be scary with KD.

[ConSarnit]

Where is this idea that KD is a bad defender coming from? The Suns were significantly better defensively when he was on the floor. His dfg% is -5.7% (players he is guarding shoot 5.7% worse than their normal average when guarded by KD). He can still provide supplemental rim protection.

None of the numbers (or even the eye test) say that KD is a bad defender. If anything he is still an above average defender.

and all of the numbers and the eye test say that Vassell and Barnes are horrific defenders. the people who say the Spurs are "going all-in" and "mortgaging their future" have no idea what they're talking about.

Obviously KD is a better player than those guys, but that's not really the point when you're talking about trading for him. Vassell and Barnes might not be lockdown defenders, but they're young and on good contracts. That makes them decent trade assets.

KD's 37. As soon as you trade for him, his trade value is basically gonna disappear. The Suns aren't even expecting much for him now compared to what they paid and the next time he's traded you're not getting anything back for him of value. You might have to attach value at that point.

Bringing KD to the Spurs right now just doesn't make sense. He hasn't made even better teams contenders. You'd be giving up actual trade pieces for a short-term scorer who probably won't get you where you want to go. He's proven to be an empty stats guys for half a decade now. You're way better off flipping those young guys for picks or other young talent that fits Wemby's timeline, instead of burning assets on an aging star who's on his last big contract and will get you nothing back.

The only rational counter argument is if you actually believe adding KD gets you a ring. But there's zero reason to believe it will.

“they’re young”

Harrison Barnes is entering his 14th season. Barnes was also a throw in for the Kings to clear salary, so no, his value isn’t very high. The Spurs GOT a pick swap to take him.

There is zero evidence Durant is an empty stats guy. His team is always better with him on the floor. 27ppg on 64 TS% is not “empty stats” no matter how you try and frame it. That’s elite offensive output.

[WiggOuts]

People ignore the leadership/mentorship aspect of adding a KD to a young team like the Spurs. He would absolutely make them a better team, they'd be learning from 2 all time greats.

The price won't be that high either, a young player(Castle) some ok picks and salary matching might be the best deal they get. KD definitely on his last legs and its no secret

[WiggOuts]

People are nuts thinking SA will trade the #2 pick, let alone for KD. I'm not even sure they'd deal it for Giannis

[doogie_hauser]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=XYvAhCUJXI37ME8EkCJ5rQ

Knicks pursuing KD hard but no way do they have a package that could be more appealing to The Suns than The Spurs

[tsherkin]

There is zero evidence Durant is an empty stats guy. His team is always better with him on the floor. 27ppg on 64 TS% is not “empty stats” no matter how you try and frame it. That’s elite offensive output.

It is, however, very clear that his impact is much lower than it used to be. He does not exert superstar impact anymore. Part of that is defense. Part of that is the rise in league-average efficiency has taken the magnitude of his offensive output down a peg, he isn't the same kind of offensive rebounder he used to be (not that he was ever great), his ability to draw fouls has declined some.

He's as efficient as he was in 2014 in terms of absolute TS%. He doesn't score as much, his usage is down. And he has never been a truly dangerous playmaker.

Definitely not empty stats, but he does have his limitations compared to his earlier self, and compared to the top tier of guys in the league. He's also been injured quite a lot over basically the last decade, which is worth considering as well, particularly at his age.

No question, he's still a very good offensive player, but some level of skepticism and hesitation over his total value is quite valid. Particularly with a team like San Antonio, which 100% is not ready to contend, even with KD, at this time.

[UglyBugBall]

and all of the numbers and the eye test say that Vassell and Barnes are horrific defenders. the people who say the Spurs are "going all-in" and "mortgaging their future" have no idea what they're talking about.

Obviously KD is a better player than those guys, but that's not really the point when you're talking about trading for him. Vassell and Barnes might not be lockdown defenders, but they're young and on good contracts. That makes them decent trade assets.

KD's 37. As soon as you trade for him, his trade value is basically gonna disappear. The Suns aren't even expecting much for him now compared to what they paid and the next time he's traded you're not getting anything back for him of value. You might have to attach value at that point.

Bringing KD to the Spurs right now just doesn't make sense. He hasn't made even better teams contenders. You'd be giving up actual trade pieces for a short-term scorer who probably won't get you where you want to go. He's proven to be an empty stats guys for half a decade now. You're way better off flipping those young guys for picks or other young talent that fits Wemby's timeline, instead of burning assets on an aging star who's on his last big contract and will get you nothing back.

The only rational counter argument is if you actually believe adding KD gets you a ring. But there's zero reason to believe it will.

“they’re young”

Harrison Barnes is entering his 14th season. Barnes was also a throw in for the Kings to clear salary, so no, his value isn’t very high. The Spurs GOT a pick swap to take him.

There is zero evidence Durant is an empty stats guy. His team is always better with him on the floor. 27ppg on 64 TS% is not “empty stats” no matter how you try and frame it. That’s elite offensive output.

Barnes is filler, obviously, you’re not getting Durant without giving up at least one actual young asset like Vassell.

Also, there is a ton of evidence KD has been an empty stats guy since leaving Golden State. His numbers still look great in a vacuum, but his impact hasn’t translated to winning in any meaningful way.

Post-Warriors KD Resume

Brooklyn Nets

Won exactly one playoff series in four seasons.

Missed huge chunks of time every year.

2022: Swept in the first round by Boston. He got completely locked up by Tatum and Brown, shot 39% from the field.

The Kyrie/Harden superteam fell apart under his leadership. KD asked out twice and bailed when things got tough.

Phoenix Suns

2023: Lost in 6 to Denver. his offense looked fine, but couldn’t create or control the flow. Booker carried the load, not KD.

2024: Swept by the Wolves. KD was passive and uninvolved.

2025 I don't think we even want to talk about

Despite having Booker, Beal and Nurkic KD couldn’t even sniff contention.

Since 2019 KD has:

Won 1 playoff series in 5 years.

Been part of 2 major superteam collapses.

Shown no leadership or ability to elevate others.

Consistently put up great efficiency with no meaningful impact on team success.

Compare him to other empty stat guys:

Bradley Beal: High scoring, never led a winner.

Zach LaVine: Great stats, zero playoff relevance.

KAT (pre 2024 but I'd argue still the case): Puts up numbers, rarely a difference maker in key games.

Devin Booker pre-CP3: big stats, team couldn’t win 30 games.

KD's now in that territory. He’s no longer a ceiling-raiser, he’s a high-volume scorer who doesn’t move the needle.

He’s 37, declining athletically, on a massive contract, and doesn’t fit a young rebuilding timeline. Why would the Spurs burn assets for a guy whose recent track record shows he won’t make you a contender?

Unless you believe adding 37-year-old KD is enough to beat the Nuggets, Wolves, Mavs, Lakers, OKC, Celtics, etc., there’s zero logic in making that trade.

[DwayneSchintzus]

the Spurs aren't trading Castle or the 2nd pick for a 37 year old

[ConSarnit]

There is zero evidence Durant is an empty stats guy. His team is always better with him on the floor. 27ppg on 64 TS% is not “empty stats” no matter how you try and frame it. That’s elite offensive output.

It is, however, very clear that his impact is much lower than it used to be. He does not exert superstar impact anymore. Part of that is defense. Part of that is the rise in league-average efficiency has taken the magnitude of his offensive output down a peg, he isn't the same kind of offensive rebounder he used to be (not that he was ever great), his ability to draw fouls has declined some.

He's as efficient as he was in 2014 in terms of absolute TS%. He doesn't score as much, his usage is down. And he has never been a truly dangerous playmaker.

Definitely not empty stats, but he does have his limitations compared to his earlier self, and compared to the top tier of guys in the league. He's also been injured quite a lot over basically the last decade, which is worth considering as well, particularly at his age.

No question, he's still a very good offensive player, but some level of skepticism and hesitation over his total value is quite valid. Particularly with a team like San Antonio, which 100% is not ready to contend, even with KD, at this time.

Yeah, his output is down from his prime. In his prime he was far outperforming his salary. That’s the nature of max contracts. As I pointed out earlier his defense is still quite solid by almost all metrics. He’s a top 5 scorer in the league.

We’re taking about KD vs Vassell + Barnes. Like, it shouldn’t even be close to debatable as to who provides a bigger impact.

If it’s Vassell + Barnes + 14 it should be a no brainer. Wemby’s rookie contract allows for salary flexibility for 2 more years. They Spurs would retain all of their key assets and have flexibility to re-tool around a Fox/KD/Wemby core. Wemby is close to an MVP candidate. Fox is an all-star. If they can make a move that doesn’t compromise their future they should do it. This isn’t the Pels moving too soon for Jrue.

People should not be looking at this as KD is making $55m. They should be looking at it as KD + Wemby are making a combined $68m. You can take the risk on KD because you have a superstar still on his rookie deal. Even if the Spurs fall short of a title they are still in an excellent position 3 years from now.

If the Durant experiment fails the Spurs are left with:

Wemby
Fox
Harper
Castle
Sochan
1sts in every year outside of ‘27 (including many upside swaps)

Where is the major downside here?

[ConSarnit]

Obviously KD is a better player than those guys, but that's not really the point when you're talking about trading for him. Vassell and Barnes might not be lockdown defenders, but they're young and on good contracts. That makes them decent trade assets.

KD's 37. As soon as you trade for him, his trade value is basically gonna disappear. The Suns aren't even expecting much for him now compared to what they paid and the next time he's traded you're not getting anything back for him of value. You might have to attach value at that point.

Bringing KD to the Spurs right now just doesn't make sense. He hasn't made even better teams contenders. You'd be giving up actual trade pieces for a short-term scorer who probably won't get you where you want to go. He's proven to be an empty stats guys for half a decade now. You're way better off flipping those young guys for picks or other young talent that fits Wemby's timeline, instead of burning assets on an aging star who's on his last big contract and will get you nothing back.

The only rational counter argument is if you actually believe adding KD gets you a ring. But there's zero reason to believe it will.

“they’re young”

Harrison Barnes is entering his 14th season. Barnes was also a throw in for the Kings to clear salary, so no, his value isn’t very high. The Spurs GOT a pick swap to take him.

There is zero evidence Durant is an empty stats guy. His team is always better with him on the floor. 27ppg on 64 TS% is not “empty stats” no matter how you try and frame it. That’s elite offensive output.

Barnes is filler, obviously, you’re not getting Durant without giving up at least one actual young asset like Vassell.

Also, there is a ton of evidence KD has been an empty stats guy since leaving Golden State. His numbers still look great in a vacuum, but his impact hasn’t translated to winning in any meaningful way.

Post-Warriors KD Resume

Brooklyn Nets

Won exactly one playoff series in four seasons.

Missed huge chunks of time every year.

2022: Swept in the first round by Boston. He got completely locked up by Tatum and Brown, shot 39% from the field.

The Kyrie/Harden superteam fell apart under his leadership. KD asked out twice and bailed when things got tough.

Phoenix Suns

2023: Lost in 6 to Denver. his offense looked fine, but couldn’t create or control the flow. Booker carried the load, not KD.

2024: Swept by the Wolves. KD was passive and uninvolved.

2025 I don't think we even want to talk about

Despite having Booker, Beal and Nurkic KD couldn’t even sniff contention.

Since 2019 KD has:

Won 1 playoff series in 5 years.

Been part of 2 major superteam collapses.

Shown no leadership or ability to elevate others.

Consistently put up great efficiency with no meaningful impact on team success.

Compare him to other empty stat guys:

Bradley Beal: High scoring, never led a winner.

Zach LaVine: Great stats, zero playoff relevance.

KAT (pre 2024 but I'd argue still the case): Puts up numbers, rarely a difference maker in key games.

Devin Booker pre-CP3: big stats, team couldn’t win 30 games.

KD's now in that territory. He’s no longer a ceiling-raiser, he’s a high-volume scorer who doesn’t move the needle.

He’s 37, declining athletically, on a massive contract, and doesn’t fit a young rebuilding timeline. Why would the Spurs burn assets for a guy whose recent track record shows he won’t make you a contender?

Unless you believe adding 37-year-old KD is enough to beat the Nuggets, Wolves, Mavs, Lakers, OKC, Celtics, etc., there’s zero logic in making that trade.

Delusional to compare him to someone like Lavine or Beal.

I’m not even a huge fan of KD but at least try to be objective here.

[Lalouie]

he didn't help phx any,,,and they were scary bad

you imply that a move to sas is unequivocally great.
who says sas wants to give up assets for kd and then pay him an enormous salary to boot???

if sas gives up whomever and gets kd and they do well and then kd retires in 2yrs,,,where is sas then? or if kd gets injured, where does THAT leave sas?

[tsherkin]

Yeah, his output is down from his prime. In his prime he was far outperforming his salary. That’s the nature of max contracts. As I pointed out earlier his defense is still quite solid by almost all metrics. He’s a top 5 scorer in the league.

For clarity before we go on, I'm not crapping on KD. I'm just noting that he isn't the same as he was in his prime, which is quite normal at his age, with his injury history, at this stage of his career, etc. Like, he's actually aged quite well, but Father Time is undefeated, after all.

If it’s Vassell + Barnes + 14 it should be a no brainer. Wemby’s rookie contract allows for salary flexibility for 2 more years. They Spurs would retain all of their key assets and have flexibility to re-tool around a Fox/KD/Wemby core. Wemby is close to an MVP candidate. Fox is an all-star. If they can make a move that doesn’t compromise their future they should do it. This isn’t the Pels moving too soon for Jrue.

That still isn't a title team, though. And giving up assets for a 1-year rental of a guy who won't make you a contender doesn't really make sense.

And BARNES certainly isn't going to revolutionize their offense. His D is strong but that dude shouldn't ever be taking more than like 12 FGA/g, and never shooting ATB.

[UglyBugBall]

“they’re young”

Harrison Barnes is entering his 14th season. Barnes was also a throw in for the Kings to clear salary, so no, his value isn’t very high. The Spurs GOT a pick swap to take him.

There is zero evidence Durant is an empty stats guy. His team is always better with him on the floor. 27ppg on 64 TS% is not “empty stats” no matter how you try and frame it. That’s elite offensive output.

Barnes is filler, obviously, you’re not getting Durant without giving up at least one actual young asset like Vassell.

Also, there is a ton of evidence KD has been an empty stats guy since leaving Golden State. His numbers still look great in a vacuum, but his impact hasn’t translated to winning in any meaningful way.

Post-Warriors KD Resume

Brooklyn Nets

Won exactly one playoff series in four seasons.

Missed huge chunks of time every year.

2022: Swept in the first round by Boston. He got completely locked up by Tatum and Brown, shot 39% from the field.

The Kyrie/Harden superteam fell apart under his leadership. KD asked out twice and bailed when things got tough.

Phoenix Suns

2023: Lost in 6 to Denver. his offense looked fine, but couldn’t create or control the flow. Booker carried the load, not KD.

2024: Swept by the Wolves. KD was passive and uninvolved.

2025 I don't think we even want to talk about

Despite having Booker, Beal and Nurkic KD couldn’t even sniff contention.

Since 2019 KD has:

Won 1 playoff series in 5 years.

Been part of 2 major superteam collapses.

Shown no leadership or ability to elevate others.

Consistently put up great efficiency with no meaningful impact on team success.

Compare him to other empty stat guys:

Bradley Beal: High scoring, never led a winner.

Zach LaVine: Great stats, zero playoff relevance.

KAT (pre 2024 but I'd argue still the case): Puts up numbers, rarely a difference maker in key games.

Devin Booker pre-CP3: big stats, team couldn’t win 30 games.

KD's now in that territory. He’s no longer a ceiling-raiser, he’s a high-volume scorer who doesn’t move the needle.

He’s 37, declining athletically, on a massive contract, and doesn’t fit a young rebuilding timeline. Why would the Spurs burn assets for a guy whose recent track record shows he won’t make you a contender?

Unless you believe adding 37-year-old KD is enough to beat the Nuggets, Wolves, Mavs, Lakers, OKC, Celtics, etc., there’s zero logic in making that trade.

Delusional to compare him to someone like Lavine or Beal.

I’m not even a huge fan of KD but at least try to be objective here.

He's won the same number of rings as those two in the last 6 years while playing on MUCH better teams. So yeah you're not winning anything with Durant anymore than you are with Zach right now.

[DirtyDez]

A lot of ppl seem to be in denial about this as if Wemby/KD wouldn’t be the best frontcourt in the league. Btw guess who’s played more games the last two years between KD and Wemby?

[Scalabrine]

Vassell/Barnes and 14 is probably the most I'd do if I were the Spurs.

Wemby
Durant/Sochan
Harper/Champagnie
Castle/Johnson
Fox

Then they'd have about 30 million to fill in the rest of the bench. It's a little undersized at the 2/3 but they'd have a ton of playmaking with all 3 of Harper/Castle/Fox.

[Shock Defeat]

Knicks getting KD would be classic Dolan meddling. Didn't he learn from the Marbury, Randolph, Eddy Curry says. High priced big names that don't play winning basketball are not what wins games. At this point KD is closer to Marbury than when he was in his prime

[ball_takes23]

he didn't help phx any,,,and they were scary bad

you imply that a move to sas is unequivocally great.
who says sas wants to give up assets for kd and then pay him an enormous salary to boot???

if sas gives up whomever and gets kd and they do well and then kd retires in 2yrs,,,where is sas then? or if kd gets injured, where does THAT leave sas?

if all they give up is Barnes/Vassell/14 they would not be any worse off than they are now, and arguably even better off. Barnes is in his 14th season and not part of a healthy future for any team. KD retiring in 2 years would line up perfectly with Wemby getting his max. Vasell is making $27M for the next 4 years. If you are SA would you rather be paying Wemby + Fox + Vassell $115M in 2027 and have little room to build around them or Wemby + Fox $85M and still have room to maneuver?

[eric365]

With the package Vassell + Barnes + #14 : The spurs can take back more salaries and would help the Suns get below the 2nd apron

And a 3rd team would be possible to bring a Big instead of Vassell to the suns

The spurs also have lots of 2nd round picks they could give and maybe 1 more first round pick (and not the best one)

More than that and I would be very surprised. I don’t think the spurs ever traded several assets for a rental / old player in their history

Let’s see if another team beat this offer with Kd ready to extend there. Maybe there will be and good luck to Kd there

[manlisten]

I think what's clear is that the Spurs are done building thru the draft. They traded three 1sts for Fox including the Wolves '31 they got for Dillingham. They're obviously keeping the #2 pick but #14 from ATL is a throwaway for them. Amazingly they'd still have 2 more picks from the Hawks as that Dejounte Murray trade really needs to be studied. They're making their playoff push now and aren't looking back. Giving up Vassell/Barnes/14 is a no brainer and raises their ceiling instantly while still allowing flexibility for the immediate future.

[FarBeyondDriven]

KD to Spurs
#2 (Spurs) and Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes to the Nets
#8 (Nets) and #14 (Spurs) and Cam Johnson to the Suns

[Bornstellar]

KD to Spurs
#2 (Spurs) and Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes to the Nets
#8 (Nets) and #14 (Spurs) and Cam Johnson to the Suns

Absolutely zero chance the Spurs are including the #2 pick in any trade for KD.