Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago

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Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#1 » by drosestruts » Thu Jun 12, 2025 10:36 pm

Houston in: Kevin Durant
Houston out: Jabari Smith, Reed Sheppard, Dillon Brooks, Jock Landale, and Pick #10

Chicago in: Jabari Smith Jr, Reed Sheppard, and Jock Landale
Chicago out: Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, and Pick #12

Suns in: Nikola Vucevic, Dillon Brooks, Lonzo Ball, and Picks 10 and 12
Suns out: Kevin Durant


Rockets:

FVV/Holiday
Green/
Thompson/Whitmore
Durant/Eason
Sengun/

Rockets add Durant while keeping their highest valued core pieces.


Bulls:

Giddey/Sheppard/Carter
White/Dosunmu
Buzelis/Huerter/Terry
Smith Jr./Williams/Phillips
Collins/Smith/Londale

Bulls continue showing a preference for young players already with some time in the NBA by nabbing Smith and Sheppard in exchange for helping Houston land Durant. Smith Jr will have to be paid in a year, similar to what happened with Giddey.


Suns

Ball/Micic
Booker/Beal/Allen
Brooks/Dunn
O'Neale/Martin
Vucevic/Richards

Suns get two late lottery picks to either trade up or take two swings at players who will be on cheap deals for the next 4 years. Without controlling their own future picks, there's no point in bottoming out - Ball and Brooks are near perfect compliments to Booker in the backcourt. Vuc is an huge upgrade over the Suns current center depth

Does everyone walk out of this happy?
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#2 » by Godaddycurse » Thu Jun 12, 2025 11:02 pm

You can get at most one of reed or jabari with pick 12, not both
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#3 » by Kiss of Death » Thu Jun 12, 2025 11:20 pm

That is way too much from the Rockets for Durant in the year 2025.
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#4 » by Texas Chuck » Thu Jun 12, 2025 11:27 pm

How is Chicago helping here exactly? Stealing value? Because they are most definitely just here stealing value.

And yes Houston is badly overpaying, but assuming that was fair value, why is Chicago getting most of it?
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#5 » by SkyHook » Thu Jun 12, 2025 11:38 pm

The Suns get a great deal here, but it's probably a bit heavy in outgoing value for the Rockets.

I think it's a bad deal for the Bulls. The problem with trading for a player like Jabari, who is fine but more of an MLE level player, is that the team has just traded assets for him which gives him leverage in negotiations. I think he's expecting a big payday that Chicago shouldn't want to pay, especially following the Williams contract fiasco. Is there a chance that Sheppard becomes a useful player after failing to live up to the hype?
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#6 » by Dez » Fri Jun 13, 2025 12:03 am

Take out one of Reed or Sheppard, the Bulls are getting way too much for way too little.
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#7 » by SkyHook » Fri Jun 13, 2025 12:05 am

Dez wrote:Take out one of Reed or Sheppard, the Bulls are getting way too much for way too little.


Reed AND Sheppard? In this economy?
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#8 » by Dez » Fri Jun 13, 2025 12:09 am

SkyHook wrote:
Dez wrote:Take out one of Reed or Sheppard, the Bulls are getting way too much for way too little.


Reed AND Sheppard? In this economy?


God damn it!

I mean Sheppard or Smith.
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#9 » by ChettheJet » Fri Jun 13, 2025 12:24 am

If you want the Bulls involved, they aren't going to be doormats to help 2 other teams move major assets. They want something, or go find someone else among the other 27 teams to make your deal happen

Vucevic is a $21M expiring contract, if you want to play the Lonzo Ball injury, look at Dosunmu instead, #12 isn't perfect go ahead, find another lottery pick and replace it.

Smith is a good not great shooter he would need to take more shots, and score more points you say he can but who knows. Sheppard hasn't played
enough to know much, he's basically like getting last year's FRP with the same potential. Landale is a hardworker, 3rd string behind Collins and Jalen Smith.

I don't want to trade Ball but Smith and Sheppard are in the age range of the Bulls core of Giddey, Buzelis, maybe White, Williams, if they keep Huerter, maybe resign Jones. So I'd do it
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#10 » by KdoubleDees23 » Fri Jun 13, 2025 12:26 am

drosestruts wrote:Houston in: Kevin Durant
Houston out: Jabari Smith, Reed Sheppard, Dillon Brooks, Jock Landale, and Pick #10

Chicago in: Jabari Smith Jr, Reed Sheppard, and Jock Landale
Chicago out: Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, and Pick #12

Suns in: Nikola Vucevic, Dillon Brooks, Lonzo Ball, and Picks 10 and 12
Suns out: Kevin Durant


Rockets:

FVV/Holiday
Green/
Thompson/Whitmore
Durant/Eason
Sengun/

Rockets add Durant while keeping their highest valued core pieces.


Bulls:

Giddey/Sheppard/Carter
White/Dosunmu
Buzelis/Huerter/Terry
Smith Jr./Williams/Phillips
Collins/Smith/Londale

Bulls continue showing a preference for young players already with some time in the NBA by nabbing Smith and Sheppard in exchange for helping Houston land Durant. Smith Jr will have to be paid in a year, similar to what happened with Giddey.


Suns

Ball/Micic
Booker/Beal/Allen
Brooks/Dunn
O'Neale/Martin
Vucevic/Richards

Suns get two late lottery picks to either trade up or take two swings at players who will be on cheap deals for the next 4 years. Without controlling their own future picks, there's no point in bottoming out - Ball and Brooks are near perfect compliments to Booker in the backcourt. Vuc is an huge upgrade over the Suns current center depth

Does everyone walk out of this happy?



Suns say, Sign me up!!!!!
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#11 » by MoreyWins » Fri Jun 13, 2025 2:04 am

SkyHook wrote:The Suns get a great deal here, but it's probably a bit heavy in outgoing value for the Rockets.

I think it's a bad deal for the Bulls. The problem with trading for a player like Jabari, who is fine but more of an MLE level player, is that the team has just traded assets for him which gives him leverage in negotiations. I think he's expecting a big payday that Chicago shouldn't want to pay, especially following the Williams contract fiasco. Is there a chance that Sheppard becomes a useful player after failing to live up to the hype?

Jabari is a what?? A MLE level player? I think you have him confused.
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#12 » by SkyHook » Fri Jun 13, 2025 2:39 am

MoreyWins wrote:
SkyHook wrote:The Suns get a great deal here, but it's probably a bit heavy in outgoing value for the Rockets.

I think it's a bad deal for the Bulls. The problem with trading for a player like Jabari, who is fine but more of an MLE level player, is that the team has just traded assets for him which gives him leverage in negotiations. I think he's expecting a big payday that Chicago shouldn't want to pay, especially following the Williams contract fiasco. Is there a chance that Sheppard becomes a useful player after failing to live up to the hype?

Jabari is a what?? A MLE level player? I think you have him confused.


He's 180th in EPM (65th percentile, 63rd oEPM, 69th dEPM) and 173rd in VORP. He's below league average in 3PT%, EFG%, TS%. He's good, not great, on the boards. He lacks a definable elite skill in any facet of his game. He's... fine. To me that screams an MLE guy, but by all means Houston should give him the same deal as Green.
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#13 » by LarsV8 » Fri Jun 13, 2025 3:31 am

Green, Jock, Holiday, #10, only offer.
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#14 » by djFan71 » Fri Jun 13, 2025 8:24 am

LarsV8 wrote:Green, Jock, Holiday, #10, only offer.

Green, Sheppard, Jock and 10 for 29 feels about right. KD is still KD for a little bit at least and Reed is still Reed for a long time.

Though, I’m a Green truther and wouldn’t do this. I feel like he’ll come back much better after this year’s playoffs.
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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#15 » by LarsV8 » Fri Jun 13, 2025 1:07 pm

djFan71 wrote:
LarsV8 wrote:Green, Jock, Holiday, #10, only offer.

Green, Sheppard, Jock and 10 for 29 feels about right. KD is still KD for a little bit at least and Reed is still Reed for a long time.

Though, I’m a Green truther and wouldn’t do this. I feel like he’ll come back much better after this year’s playoffs.


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Re: Durant to Houston with some help from Chicago 

Post#16 » by drosestruts » Fri Jun 13, 2025 1:30 pm

Thanks for the feedback - appreciate the different perspectives.

Heard on a majority of posters feeling like the Bulls are getting too much value by receiving both Smith and Sheppard. Financially it seems to all fall apart if say replacing Sheppard with Holiday or something, so the idea is probably dead for additional reasons now if Sheppard and Smith are too much.

On the Durant side of it - I think with multiple teams interested there will ultimatley be a bit of a bidding war and the package he's traded for will be higher than people expect. This is still a guy putting up 27 points on 64% TS%

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