Raptors: Pros and Cons of trading Fred VanVleet for Kevin Durant

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TORONTO, ON – APRIL 20: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles up court in the first half of Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /

Cons

The Raptors just saw VanVleet, one of the best 3-point shooters in the league, averaged 20 points per game for the first time. Having carried the team while Pascal Siakam got hurt and fresh off playing some borderline All-Defensive Team perimeter defense, VanVleet is playing as good as he will ever play.

While VanVleet has some injury issues, getting a player with Durant’s long list of ailments is not a very sound strategy. Trading away an All-Star for a player who has played 90 games in the last three seasons places even more pressure on Durant and his body.

Will getting Kevin Durant help the Toronto Raptors that much?

For someone in Ujiri who values financial flexibility like few executives in the league, paying Durant such an ungodly amount of Toronto’s limited cap space would put them in a box. Does Ujiri seem like the type of person who is going to pay Durant more than $100 million in his age 36-and age-37 seasons while also trading his point guard?

Ujiri is always willing to chase the next big talent who comes along, but giving away a team leader and ready-made All-Star to a division rival in order to get a player who has quit on a team that bent over backward to appease him might be a bridge too far for him.