Kevin Durant

[frankenwolf]

I get it. That's why I'd say it's probably not the ideal addition. But I personally believe Durant's game will continue to age gracefully. He has a ver aging-friendly skill set. He's never gotten his advantages through athleticism. That's a situation where I would be a lot more worried. Durant will always have excellent size and length for his position, no matter whether it's at PF or even SF. He will always be a great shooter.

The highlighted is where we differ. I do not see it aging gracefully. The projected cost to get KD to the Wolves is too high, IMO.

What part do you see falling off?

Legs.

I know, that sounds a silly, but you and I both know that legs are the first thing to go. At my age I still have sweet looking shot, but my legs just don't do what they are supposed to anymore.

[winforlose]

If KD wants to play for Minnesota he is a free agent in 26/27. He can take a pay cut and come here. At that point however he ages, (gracefully or not,) he will be able to team with Ant and chase a ring. The difference is the team he comes to doesn’t need to trash its depth to acquire him, and will be far better positioned to let him be a Robin, as opposed to a Batman to Ant’s Superman.

The big question that will define the future of this team is Rob Dillingham. If Dilly can turn into a legit starting PG that can shoot and attack off the bounce then we are entering the championship years. If not, then we are really up shi*’s creek. We need a PG to get Ant off ball and allow him to thrive. How many games did our back court suck last playoffs. I am not just talking against OKC. Sometimes excluding Ant, sometimes including Ant, the backcourt was a disaster. We need to fix that, especially with Mike turning 38 and probably regressing to a 2nd or 3rd string.

[Klomp]

The highlighted is where we differ. I do not see it aging gracefully. The projected cost to get KD to the Wolves is too high, IMO.

What part do you see falling off?

Legs.

I know, that sounds a silly, but you and I both know that legs are the first thing to go. At my age I still have sweet looking shot, but my legs just don't do what they are supposed to anymore.

To that point, I think it's fair to say that availability is the greatest concern. But if he is on the court, I have no questions about his production.

I think the end of his career will be a lot like the last few seasons of Larry Bird's career were. Bird dealt with injuries, but when he was on the court, he was great and he impacted winning.

[frankenwolf]

If KD wants to play for Minnesota he is a free agent in 26/27. He can take a pay cut and come here. At that point however he ages, (gracefully or not,) he will be able to team with Ant and chase a ring. The difference is the team he comes to doesn’t need to trash its depth to acquire him, and will be far better positioned to let him be a Robin, as opposed to a Batman to Ant’s Superman.

The big question that will define the future of this team is Rob Dillingham. If Dilly can turn into a legit starting PG that can shoot and attack off the bounce then we are entering the championship years. If not, then we are really up shi*’s creek. We need a PG to get Ant off ball and allow him to thrive. How many games did our back court suck last playoffs. I am not just talking against OKC. Sometimes excluding Ant, sometimes including Ant, the backcourt was a disaster. We need to fix that, especially with Mike turning 38 and probably regressing to a 2nd or 3rd string.

Yes, Dilly becomes a legit starter and get a more offensive minded, defensive stud.

[shrink]

I heard a rumor today that PHX wants to trade Durant by the draft.

Since this draft comes before free agency opens, NAW would be off the table, and Naz and Randle would only be trade eligible if they picked up their options.

[cmoss84]

IF the Suns could somehow get under the 2nd apron, this would be a fun trade. But, alas, they are in cap hell with a ruptured Achilles Beal.

Heat: Randle, Grayson Allen, Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro (would be under 1st apron)
Suns: Gobert and Wiggins
MN: Durant, Ware, and Kevin Love (would be 1st apron)

[BlacJacMac]

I think any move is about the continued development of Ant, and to keep making playoff runs. I think Durant can do that. Is he the ideal fit? Probably not. But I don't think they take a major step back. And I think being around Durant every day would help speed up Ant's continued development as he tries to further refine his game.

But then what? Durant will be a year older and we'll have even fewer resources to replace him.

Ant has been to the WCF the past 2 years, we can take the training wheels off at this point.

Right, but have you watched the last two conference finals?! Defenses load up on Ant, and the team folds. Teams aren't deploying the same defensive coverages out there if Durant is on the court with him.

Sure. But all we learn is if we get a Top 10 All-Time shooter next to Ant it will take some pressure off him.

IMO, Durant is a one-year win now option that damages the future. And that one year is when OKC is likely to be at their very peak (Everyone they have now comes back, plus they add Nikola Topic and the 15th pick this year).

[BlacJacMac]

I get it. That's why I'd say it's probably not the ideal addition. But I personally believe Durant's game will continue to age gracefully. He has a ver aging-friendly skill set. He's never gotten his advantages through athleticism. That's a situation where I would be a lot more worried. Durant will always have excellent size and length for his position, no matter whether it's at PF or even SF. He will always be a great shooter.

The highlighted is where we differ. I do not see it aging gracefully. The projected cost to get KD to the Wolves is too high, IMO.

What part do you see falling off?

We've already seen his defense and rebounding fall off. And he's only missed less than 20 games one time since his injury.

We can likely absorb his annual injuries if they happen mid season, but what if its at the end of the year and he's either unavailable or well below 100% for the Playoffs.

I just can't wrap my head around spending what it will take to add a 37 year-old player to this team.

[Klomp]

I heard a rumor today that PHX wants to trade Durant by the draft.

Since this draft comes before free agency opens, NAW would be off the table, and Naz and Randle would only be trade eligible if they picked up their options.

Technically, I'd assume they could figure out parameters before the draft, even if it's not officially consummated until the new league year. Since Randle is technically under contract, I think we could probably talk/negotiate with him on what such a deal could look like.

[Klomp]

IMO, Durant is a one-year win now option that damages the future. And that one year is when OKC is likely to be at their very peak (Everyone they have now comes back, plus they add Nikola Topic and the 15th pick this year).

This mentality would be equal to the Pacers being scared off from trading for Siakam because the Celtics were at their peak. You just never know.

[Klomp]

The highlighted is where we differ. I do not see it aging gracefully. The projected cost to get KD to the Wolves is too high, IMO.

What part do you see falling off?

We've already seen his defense and rebounding fall off. And he's only missed less than 20 games one time since his injury.

We can likely absorb his annual injuries if they happen mid season, but what if its at the end of the year and he's either unavailable or well below 100% for the Playoffs.

I just can't wrap my head around spending what it will take to add a 37 year-old player to this team.

When we traded for Conley, he had recent seasons of 51, 47 and 12 games in his previous 5 seasons.

We totally should've kept D'Angelo Russell. The cost for an aging Conley was just too high....

[jpatrick]

IMO, Durant is a one-year win now option that damages the future. And that one year is when OKC is likely to be at their very peak (Everyone they have now comes back, plus they add Nikola Topic and the 15th pick this year).

This mentality would be equal to the Pacers being scared off from trading for Siakam because the Celtics were at their peak. You just never know.

Here’s the question. What are our options? We could stand pat. But I don’t see us going any farther than we did this year with the current roster. And we had some luck allowing us to make the WCFs this year.

We could go younger, leaning into the Ant timeline. Trade Gobert/Randle for a younger C/PF, hoping to maximize the roster in 2-3 years to make a run. I’m not against this, but I’m also not sure what you’re getting for Randle/Gobert and if we take a step back, we have e to remember we don’t have a lot of our picks.

Go Durant. If the cost is Randle, Dilly, DDV, I’m in. Durant is still going to be really good for the next 3 years. He would elevate us. Does it make us better than OKC? Probably not. But you don’t know what will happen in the future. SGA turns an ankle? They lose a little due to the cap. They go cold in a series. I could give any more picks. I wouldn’t go more than that. I would only trade if we could find a way to get NAW/Naz. That said, teams will outbid that, so not really a discussion.

[BlacJacMac]

IMO, Durant is a one-year win now option that damages the future. And that one year is when OKC is likely to be at their very peak (Everyone they have now comes back, plus they add Nikola Topic and the 15th pick this year).

This mentality would be equal to the Pacers being scared off from trading for Siakam because the Celtics were at their peak. You just never know.

What???

That was a trade for now and the future. Siakim just turned 31 years old and is signed for 4 more years for an AAV of 47M. They have him locked up through his prime.

Durant is possibly a 1 year rental of a 37 year-old. And unless he's going to take a massive paycut, I wouldn't want to sign him beyond next season.

[Klomp]

When you are a Top 1 or 2 player for a solid 5-10 years at your peak, "falling off" means quite a big difference compared to what it does for someone whose peak is a Top 15 player like Randle or Gobert. Durant "falling off" still means a Top 25 player at worst, likely through the end of his career. Gobert/Randle "falling off" likely means dropping outside of the Top 50, and continuing to fall.

[BlacJacMac]

What part do you see falling off?

We've already seen his defense and rebounding fall off. And he's only missed less than 20 games one time since his injury.

We can likely absorb his annual injuries if they happen mid season, but what if its at the end of the year and he's either unavailable or well below 100% for the Playoffs.

I just can't wrap my head around spending what it will take to add a 37 year-old player to this team.

When we traded for Conley, he had recent seasons of 51, 47 and 12 games in his previous 5 seasons.

We totally should've kept D'Angelo Russell. The cost for an aging Conley was just too high....

This is such a straw man.

What did we give up for Conley? Answer: We got out of a bad contract AND added NAW and two high 2nd round picks.

Did the trade for Conley affect our ability to add pieces in the future?

What do we pay Conley? Is he breaking the bank or having a huge effect on our cap?

[shrink]

I heard a rumor today that PHX wants to trade Durant by the draft.

Since this draft comes before free agency opens, NAW would be off the table, and Naz and Randle would only be trade eligible if they picked up their options.

Technically, I'd assume they could figure out parameters before the draft, even if it's not officially consummated until the new league year. Since Randle is technically under contract, I think we could probably talk/negotiate with him on what such a deal could look like.

If Randle or Naz don’t want to be included in a Durant trade, and stay here, they could wait until after the draft to opt in.

The draft is June 25th.

Julius Randle has an opt out date on June 29th and Naz Reid has his opt out date on July 1st.

[BlacJacMac]

When you are a Top 1 or 2 player for a solid 5-10 years at your peak, "falling off" means quite a big difference compared to what it does for someone whose peak is a Top 15 player like Randle or Gobert. Durant "falling off" still means a Top 25 player at worst, likely through the end of his career. Gobert/Randle "falling off" likely means dropping outside of the Top 50, and continuing to fall.

I agree. Durant is still a Top 25 scorer.

[Klomp]

IMO, Durant is a one-year win now option that damages the future. And that one year is when OKC is likely to be at their very peak (Everyone they have now comes back, plus they add Nikola Topic and the 15th pick this year).

This mentality would be equal to the Pacers being scared off from trading for Siakam because the Celtics were at their peak. You just never know.

What???

That was a trade for now and the future. Siakim just turned 31 years old and is signed for 4 more years for an AAV of 47M. They have him locked up through his prime.

Durant is possibly a 1 year rental of a 37 year-old. And unless he's going to take a massive paycut, I wouldn't want to sign him beyond next season.

Siakam signed that extension 5 months after the trade. He was in the last year of his deal.

[Klomp]

When you are a Top 1 or 2 player for a solid 5-10 years at your peak, "falling off" means quite a big difference compared to what it does for someone whose peak is a Top 15 player like Randle or Gobert. Durant "falling off" still means a Top 25 player at worst, likely through the end of his career. Gobert/Randle "falling off" likely means dropping outside of the Top 50, and continuing to fall.

I agree. Durant is still a Top 25 scorer.

Which is one of our biggest needs, especially in clutch time....

[BlacJacMac]

This mentality would be equal to the Pacers being scared off from trading for Siakam because the Celtics were at their peak. You just never know.

What???

That was a trade for now and the future. Siakim just turned 31 years old and is signed for 4 more years for an AAV of 47M. They have him locked up through his prime.

Durant is possibly a 1 year rental of a 37 year-old. And unless he's going to take a massive paycut, I wouldn't want to sign him beyond next season.

Siakam signed that extension 5 months after the trade. He was in the last year of his deal.

He was 30!!!

Indy traded for him with the full intent of keeping him long-term. You don't think they discussed it with his agent before making the trade?