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Yeah no way is HB a deal breaker if it gets you KD.
Suns have zero second round picks from 2027-2031. Fully expect the Spurs to include a bundle of second round picks similar to what they did in the Fox trade.
ideally we'd send keldon instead of HB but if im phoenix id draw the line there if we are only talking about a single end-of-lottery first rounder. getting an expiring deal vs a 2 year deal is probably the route they'd want.
Yeah no way is HB a deal breaker if it gets you KD.
Suns have zero second round picks from 2027-2031. Fully expect the Spurs to include a bundle of second round picks similar to what they did in the Fox trade.
Yes this has been my position as well. Durant is just more of what we don’t necessarily need (scorers and playmakers) and not what we do need (defense and rebounding).
But I don’t hate it if he’s only coming here for one year. If you can send out Vassell and Keldon for him, you clear our a lot of long term salary, you get one year of mentorship and his touches will come at the expense of Castle’s and Harper in a year when they are still developing.
I’m in for one year of KD.
I’m pro trade if that’s what it takes to get him. As others have pointed out, he should age well with his shooting %s and length alone.
The big elephant is what would we extend him at. I don’t like the idea of maxing him for 2 more years even with Wemby still on rookie scale, that’s a high opportunity cost.
Hopefully there is some backchanneling with his camp on that topic, if the trade gets hot and heavy.
Yeah, pretty much. If they didn't have Harper coming on, it makes much more sense. You can have Fox/Durant taking their shots, Castle supporting, and Wembanyama too. Trying to bring along Harper makes this really awkward, even more than if just Fox-Castle-Harper. Getting Durant makes sense if they trade down or God forbid get Flagg.
Given the minimal price that's being suggested of Dev/Barnes and the 14 the Spurs cant say no. Its an offer they cant refuse.
The only deal breaker for me might be the extension. The Spurs can tack two years on to his current deal at max price no problem. If KD want's a third year added then they should pass. Seems like KD wants to come here so I bet he'll be fine with two more years added to his deal at the max.
Each side has valid points. It's going to be pretty crowed if the Spurs were to get him. There's both postives (helping/teaching Victor, showing the other young guys what it takes to be a great player/scorer etc.) and some negatives to it (Taking minutes from players that could stand to have the ball more. Possibly holding back the development of some of the younger players.
By the way, the Flagg comment, you wouldn't want him if the Spurs could get him?
With KD the Spurs become legit championship contenders in 2027. Without him they wont reach that level until about 2028 or 2029.
Again if KD is fine with a two year deal they have to do it. KD opens the championship window 1-3 years sooner. Its a no brainer.
If they can get Durant for not much, they have to do it. I have concerns that he's sort of a ball stopper and doesn't do well in the flowing offense the Spurs run, and is a bit of a sour personality, but if they can get it to work, and I think they will...
It's a bit gilding the lily but you try.
As for Flagg, I was being ironic. But yeah, Harper I think is a casualty to some degree if Durant comes on board. There's a lot of mouths to feed with their shot diet. This isn't where you stick KD in the corner, he's going to need a lot of shots. (And he should.) With Flagg, he acts on the court differently and has different abilities and needs.
Wemby after 1 year with CP3 then 1 or 2 years with Durant will be such a better player than if he played thoses 3 years without them
At such a low price (Vassell, 14# and barnes), I’m fine with this rental
And we’ll still have the MLE to add a backup center
And I’m sure a Wemby / KD / Fox team will lure some wings for the minimum
Regarding a KD extension, is he at the age where you can't give more than 2 years at a time yet? That could play into avoiding giving a 3rd year.
KD played 36.5 mpg last year, that clearly needs to drop quite a bit (should've happened already). He should probably be around 30 mpg or hopefully even a little less.
Suns are a second apron team and need to shed salary and get young talent. Problem is Durant has one year left on his contract, he’s 37, injured, and will want to pick where he plays.
Suns don’t have a lot of leverage and so what they can get depends on the market they can generate for Durant. Vassel and Barnes would be required in the trade. Picks depend on what others are offering. If Houston does a deal with Bucks or someone else with the 10th pick, Suns are screwed bc the Spurs can offer a lottery protected first and some seconds and most teams can’t beat that.
I don’t view Durant as a mentor. He doesn’t seem to get along with people all that well. Granted I don’t believe he’s as toxic as some make him out to be but he doesn’t exactly have a history of mentoring anyone.
All of you talking extension is changing my mind. The main reason I want KD is to become more flexible with the salary cap next offseason. An extension destroys that even at a discount. Screw that. I’ll just draft at 14 and build internally. If you extend KD and he gets injured or has a major decline in play then you are stuck financially. Let the Rockets or Timberwolves have him if he wants an extension. You can just keep Vassell or use him in another trade.
Just the first two minutes i took to look for durant “not having a history of mentoring anyone”
All of you talking extension is changing my mind. The main reason I want KD is to become more flexible with the salary cap next offseason. An extension destroys that even at a discount. Screw that. I’ll just draft at 14 and build internally. If you extend KD and he gets injured or has a major decline in play then you are stuck financially. Let the Rockets or Timberwolves have him if he wants an extension. You can just keep Vassell or use him in another trade.
For a lottery pick, clearing salary and a one year rental of KD when the Spurs probably aren't at championship contender level is not ideal. Even if the lotteey pick is the last one, it's still a deep draft where the Spurs should be able to get a serviceable player for cheap. Spurs can always later offload Vassell who I think still has a bit of positive value and KJ who might be neutral to slightly negative at this point.
Wouldn't mind this trade as much (assuming Vassell + Barnes + 14th pick) if it didn't include another future first rounder and KD agrees to a reasonable short term extension. Doubt the Suns will do it though considering the assets they expended to get him. KD is worth more to a team on the cusp of legitimately contending like the Rockets.
KD on the Spurs will be a decent fit and could even bring some net positive defense into the lineup. His spacing could also allow Sochan to and Castle to start together. And Durant taking up shots would also force Castle refocus on D and Harper to develop there.
The report said a package including Vassell, Barnes and 14 and somehow that got interpreted or translated to the extent of it and debates about whether that'd be an overpay.
I would think it'd take another "good" 1st and maybe a bundle of 2nds to round out the package.
No, it wouldn't. They'd probably try it, but barring a quantum leap from one (Castle would be the better bet), it'd remain untenable and they'd probably have to eventually go back to Champagnie over Sochan.
The trickle down effect would likely see Mamukelashvili re-signed and some fringe rotation C signed (Plumlee?) and those two utilized situationally/match-ups dependent.
Durant has always been an underrated defender and rim protector. In a dream scenario where he resigns for role playing money and accepts a 3 and (team) D role, he could be an awesome get.
The median outcome of a #14 pick is that of a rotation player. (Source: https://tonyelhabr.github.io/nba-dec...ick-value.html) Yes, there is upside for an all star (Bam was the #14 pick in 2017, followed by MPJ in 2018)... but there is also an equal amount of chance the #14 is a bust (the two guys I just mentioned were preceded by Denzel Valentine in 2016 and followed by Romeo Langford in 2019).
We're overvaluing the #14 a bit. It's also no longer "a lottery pick" - it's the 14th pick. The lottery is over, it is set in stone. It's lottery value disappears once the ping pong balls are drawn.
Spurs aren't giving up two "good" first round picks for Durant. Maybe a bunch of seconds. I don't think they even have to give up the 14th pick if Houston opts to offer its 10th pick to someone else. Spurs can just offer one of their own future picks and make it top 10 or top 14 protected and that may be the best that Suns can do as far as picks. But two? Suns have to find someone willing to give up two first rounders and most of the contenders, if not all but OKC and Houston, don't have two picks to give and Houston ain't giving two first rounders and OKC already said no to a Durant trade during the season. At worst, the Spurs would likely give up a protected first round pick and it would just be about how much protection.
Suns can't just say oh well, we'll just keep Durant and not trade him b/c (1) Durant isn't going to want to play another year with the Suns and will force a trade; and (2) Suns can't afford to be in the second apron AND not be a playoff team. They need to shed salary urgently and get younger and that means they must trade Durant and find out a way to trade Beal or pray he gets a career ending injury.
Agree, and for me especially this year. I'm not in love with anyone likely there at 14 this year. I think the last of the tier 3 type players are gone by around pick 10 or 11. I want to either trade up a little or consider what else to do with it.
Agree, and for me especially this year. I'm not in love with anyone likely there at 14 this year. I think the last of the tier 3 type players are gone by around pick 10 or 11. I want to either trade up a little or consider what else to do with it.
Devin has been working his ass off this offseason. I really want to see how he'll look in an offball role next to Fox. I just can't see how we keep him on the team while adding KD.
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