The Toronto Raptors, still unwilling to engage with the Brooklyn Nets on a Kevin Durant trade that features Scottie Barnes, remain connected to the transcendent superstar. One of the few teams who can put together an attractive package, the Raptors are competing with the likes of the Celtics and Grizzlies.
The Nets have set their asking price so astronomically high that no team has been able to meet it. When getting Durant entails giving up draft control for the next half-decade and all of your secondary scorers, it’s fair to see why teams are apprehensive.
One NBA executive told Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney that he believes the best way for a team like the Raptors to acquire Durant is to ask for the help of the San Antonio Spurs. Getting a third team involved might help Toronto cobble enough assets together to land Durant.
In this deal, Toronto would trade Pascal Siakam to Brooklyn while flipping one first-round pick to the Nets and a second to the Spurs. San Antonio would send Jakob Poeltl to the Nets in exchange for either Cam Thomas or Day’Ron Sharpe. The Raptors get KD, the Nets stay competitive, and the Spurs get young assets. Would this work?
The Celtics, Raptors and Heat remain among the most serious threats to land Kevin Durant, @ShamsCharania writes.
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) August 22, 2022
However, no one yet has met the Nets’ price tag of an All-Star, high-level players and draft picks.
More: https://t.co/LicRXumibB pic.twitter.com/gulvaqrfHH
Can the Toronto Raptors pull off a three-team Kevin Durant trade?
The biggest hurdle in this deal is clearly giving up Siakam. The whole point of trading for Durant is to pair him with an established star and compete for a championship. However, that doesn’t mean that the idea of a three-team trade should be dismissed out of hand.
Let’s say the Raptors include a player like Fred VanVleet (who is due for a new contract soon) or the ever-popular OG Anunoby/Gary Trent Jr. duo instead of Siakam. If the Raptors include one more first-rounder going Brooklyn’s way, that actually might be enough to get Sean Marks interested.
This deal would constitute a win for all parties involved. The Raptors would get Durant without forking over all of their draft control or proven star talent, while the Nets get enough win-now players to make some noise in the East. The Spurs have another young star as they begin their tank job.
As the Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes drag on, the Raptors reportedly aren’t budging on their rookie of the year, and a new potential trade partner emerges. https://t.co/TS8wJQyN3D
— Toronto Star (@TorontoStar) August 22, 2022
The Raptors have made it perfectly clear that Siakam is off the market in Durant talks. This is the right move. That being said, San Antonio could be a helpful team when it comes to offloading assets, thanks to their bare-bones roster. They might be the key to getting a Durant deal finalized.