Kevin Durant is yet to find a new team in the NBA. The Brooklyn Nets’ unhappy superstar has requested a trade from his team, but so far, he’s staying at Barclays Center. He has been linked with several teams, including the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and even the Golden State Warriors.
While some of these teams appear to have their chances to land the 2x NBA champion, another squad could make a surprising move for KD, luring him away from Brooklyn and pairing him up with one of the best players in the league and a former teammate.
According to Ian Begley of SNY, some people within the Philadelphia 76ers organization see with good eyes a potential arrival of KD. This is surprising, but the Sixers have the assets to unlock negotiations with the Brooklynites.
Aside from Boston, who else is a legitimate Durant suitor?
As various outlets have reported, Miami and Toronto are among the teams with interest in Durant. It’s fair to assume that nearly all NBA teams have checked in with Brooklyn in some fashion regarding Durant.
Something worth noting: As of earlier this week, there were high-ranking members of the Sixers who’ve felt strongly about engaging with Brooklyn on a Durant trade.
Something good about this is that KD apparently sees the Sixers as the desired landing spot, which could make things easier for both parties.
It is unknown if Brooklyn and Philadelphia have made any recent progress on a trade.
Previous reports stated that the Suns were at or near the top of the list of teams Durant would like to be traded to. An offseason trade to Phoenix seems unlikely due to the DeAndre Ayton signing. So what happens now? Well, it’s worth noting that, in addition to Boston, Durant also sees Philadelphia as another welcome landing spot, per people familiar with the matter.
The Sixers have built a solid team ahead of the 2022/23 NBA season, led by Joel Embiid and James Harden. Perhaps they will have to part ways with Tyrese Maxey to get the Nets’ attention, but right now, that looks unlikely. If they have the chance to land a superstar like KD, perhaps these people will push and make the trade happen. KD with Embiid and Harden could be good, but we have to sit and wait for what the future holds for all parties.