3 reasons not to panic if Raptors don’t acquire Kevin Durant
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors made waves early in the offseason thanks to their pursuit of Kevin Durant. Even though such a trade would be borderline unprecedented across NBA history, the Raptors are still hanging around the KD sweepstakes thanks to a stockpile of assets they have accumulated.
In addition to a heap of draft picks, the Raptors would likely have to part ways with names like OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. to get Durant to Toronto. The Nets have reportedly asked for Scottie Barnes to sweeten the package, but the Raptors have rebuked them to this point.
With Toronto inflexible in this regard, the Raptors’ odds of getting Durant in a trade might not be as strong as they were a few weeks ago. While some might see failing to acquire a player of Durant’s caliber as a huge loss, Toronto might not be as down in the dumps as most teams.
The Raptors and their fanbase shouldn’t stay up at night crying their eyes out about the potential of losing Durant. Toronto has all of the ingredients needed for a very deep playoff run, even if Durant stays in Brooklyn due to an inability to find a trade partner.
Toronto Raptors: 3 reasons to stay calm if they don’t get Kevin Durant
3. Brooklyn’s asking price is too high
The Nets insisting on Barnes will probably lead to a stoppage in negotiations. The Nets have reportedly been asking for such a ridiculously generous package for Durant that it would actually cripple the team who acquires him to an insane degree.
The Timberwolves were reportedly poking around the Durant patch before the Rudy Gobert deal, but the move collapsed when Brooklyn reportedly wanted both Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. If that wasn’t enough, Toronto might not get there without including Barnes or Pascal Siakam.
The Nets might not trade Kevin Durant to the Raptors.
Giving up 3/5 of a starting lineup that won 48 games in addition to control of their draft for most of the next decade is going to be a huge bar for Toronto to clear. That is an awful lot to give up for one player, as Brooklyn found out when they traded their youngsters for James Harden.
While Durant appears to have a game that will age more gracefully than Harden, the Raptors don’t need to feel pressured into getting a deal done. Giving into the Nets’ demands may end up setting the Raptors back while putting a nitro booster on Brooklyn’s retooling.