And there you have it folks. As NBA insider Jake Fischer put it, this is now the “second straight Sunday before the NBA Draft to feature a blockbuster trade.”
The long-awaited Kevin Durant sweepstakes have finally come to end earlier today, and unfortunately for Raptors Nation, they will not be rejoicing in celebration as KD is headed to the Houston Rockets.
To be fair, the Rockets were largely the front runners to land Durant, given their abundance of expendable young players who could easily entice the Suns over other contenders. The return heading back to Phoenix is as follows: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and five future second-round picks.
I was surprised to see that Houston didn't have to include Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, or even Reed Sheppard in the deal, despite Durant’s impending free agency next offseason.
Say what you will about Durant’s age, but this is undoubtedly a great acquisition for the Rockets — a team that certainly has the grit and hustle to make a deep playoff run but was largely missing that key piece to push them over the hump.
To that point, this has to sting for the Toronto Raptors, who were also involved in the KD sweepstakes (though not heavy favorites). Like Houston, they perhaps needed a true superstar to complete their puzzle.
With Durant off the table, the Raptors face tough star sweepstakes ahead
We all know about the reports that Toronto was on the hunt for a “big fish,” and while Giannis Antetokounmpo was largely at the center of those discussions, recent weeks have shifted the focus to Kevin Durant.
I had written a few pieces outlining the likely assets—namely RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl—that could potentially bring KD north of the border. However, this past weekend, Jake Fischer reported, citing veteran Raptors insider Michael Grange, that Toronto would not be willing to part ways with Poeltl, even if it meant acquiring Durant.
While one part of me is happy that Poeltl got to stick around—and likely will remain in Toronto for the long haul—there's also another part that feels a bit disappointed, as yet another star pursuit has ended in failure.
I don’t doubt how tough this young Raptors team is, and I believe that even with their current roster, they shouldn’t be underestimated by their opponents. Still, you’d be kidding yourself if you don’t think that a win-now player or a major addition is what’s largely missing from this Raptors squad.
Whether it should’ve been KD or someone else is still up for debate, but I believe Durant was the most likely candidate Toronto could have been in the running for — cost-efficient assets-wise. As for any remaining stars on the move, it will be extremely difficult for Toronto to outbid their competitors. That's just something the Raptors will need to grapple with now.