Could Kevin Durant return to the Oklahoma City Thunder? Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report believes it would be a good idea. In an article on the site, Bailey noted that Durant would fit the Thunder’s timeline, which is already at a level where it can compete for an NBA championship. Furthermore, the Thunder have the assets to land the former MVP in a blockbuster trade.
“A return to OKC, after eight years away, is easy to sell from a nostalgic standpoint. It gives his career a bit more continuity. And more importantly than any of that, he makes basketball sense there. Durant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would instantly become, almost certainly, the most dangerous one-two scoring punch in the NBA.”
“The Thunder can cobble enough outgoing salary with little more than Isaiah Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort (or Alex Caruso). The organization has tons of draft capital to spend. And whatever’s left of the roster after a KD trade would be well-equipped to cover for the aging forward on defense.”
A possible deal to send Durant to the Thunder could look like this:
Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Kevin Durant
Phoenix Suns Receive: Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, 2026 First-Round Pick, 2028 First-Round Pick (Dallas Swap), 2026 Second-Round Pick, 2028 Second-Round Pick
This deal would help the Suns fast-track any potential rebuild the Phoenix Suns would want to begin. The Oklahoma City Thunder may lose some major pieces, but in return, they get Kevin Durant, who can easily be the best or second-best player on the team, depending on the level Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be at by the time any trade takes place.
The Thunder would have one of the best duos in the NBA should this trade come together. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently an MVP candidate for the second year in a row. And Kevin Durant, despite being in his late 30s, is still one of the best players in the NBA and one of the most efficient players in the entire league. Durant is also a big fan of Shai’s game, so he would be more than happy to adapt next to him.
Of course, there is the romantic notion of Durant returning to the Thunder, the franchise that drafted him (as the SuperSonics), nurtured him, and where he became an MVP-level franchise player who took the franchise to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1996.
Durant left the Thunder in a controversial way, leaving them to join the Golden State Warriors in free agency, a team that had just defeated them in a thrilling Western Conference Finals. What made matters worse was the fact that Durant and the Thunder were up 3-1 before losing the series, a fate that ironically, would befall the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Durant became public enemy number one in Oklahoma City. Every game that he returned to the city made for a highly tense atmosphere, with the always loud Thunder fanbase doing their best to get under the skin of the player they loved dearly.
But now, should he return to the Thunder as a superstar who more than lived up to his potential, he would be embraced by a fanbase that is ready to finally win an NBA championship.
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