Mr B wrote:arkuo wrote:fuller4379 wrote:
Kevin Durant is fool's gold. The Suns traded Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, four unprotected first rounder picks (2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029) and a 2028 pick swap for him. This was one of the big reasons for the Suns downfall in the last few years. I would prefer going for someone younger than him.
I agree. I just think Nico has tendencies to go with this direction. Which I don't like. KD is an expiring so you don't have to keep him long. I kinda see the point with shedding contracts. But I dont like the fit.
If it came down to KD vs Herb Jones, who do you guys want?
Regardless of what people think about him KD actually would fit a need (scorer) more than Herb Jones would. KD is also clearly the better offensive player (by far). KD isn’t going to give you much defense though. If Nico wasn’t lying about why he traded Luka then there is zero reason he should have interest in KD. He’s just as bad as Luka on defense and Luka is a better offensive player.
With that said as much as the Mavs need offense I’d kind of like to see them attack the league with a glut of defensive wings. PJ/Flagg/Herb/Naji with Lively and AD behind them and Kyrie and whoever else they bring in as PG seems pretty formidable to me.
KD reminds me of Dirk at this stage of his career. He shoots that midrange fadeaway at a high clip. Dirk shoots 47% in comparison to KD's 52% from the field. So given that his weakness is D, if you flank him with AD and Flagg, similar to having Tyson and Marion with Dirk, I think he would be fine. You're paying him as a bucket getter and secondary playmaker in this scenario. Kyrie is out until March. Getting KD could solve that problem. The offensive playbook will change for sure. KD moves differently and the ball will be with him.
Like I said in another post, KD is also an expiring deal. He will serve his purpose while Kyrie is out. That is still a $54M expiring contract. Guys like Coby White and Austin Reaves are likely to hit free agency. Norm Powell, Lu Dort, Mikal Bridges, Anfernee Simmons, among others. You can afford those names now.
So the way I look at it, 1 year of KD, then its a $54M expiring deal if it doesn't work. And that 1 year of KD squares up with Kyrie being out until March. You will need a someone to get buckets aside from AD. KD can make plays and he draws double teams. In my mind, after next year, you let KD walk, sign Reaves and Dort and run it back. Highly likely that LA can't keep Reaves and OKC won't be able to afford Dort with SGA's new max contract looming, Holmgren and Jaylin Williams both have 1 year left on their deals. Assuming those 3 get max contracts. Dort walks for sure. Heck, even Trae Young can be a free agent around this time if you wanna go that route.
New team post-KD
C- AD / Lively
PF- Flagg
SF- Dort
SG- Reaves
PG- Kyrie
