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Kevin Durant Trade Rumors? Keeping It 100

By William Lee

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On The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Tom Penn an ESPN NBA Analyst and former NBA executive had this to about the possibility of Kevin Durant being traded.

"“I think this burst from Westbrook makes it much more likely that Durant ultimately gets traded next year. … Sam Presti has proven that he does not ever want to lose anybody for nothing. So he traded James Harden a year early to avoid a potential luxury tax problem a year later.”“The Kevin Durant drumbeat next year is going to be so loud because he will not commit early to Oklahoma City contractually because the rules are against that. He can’t get the same contract if he signs early as if he just goes to free agency and resigns.” “So if Sam Presti doesn’t get that commitment, he’ll look to to trade Kevin Durant. And looking at the performance of Westbrook and the team around Westbrook will make it easier for him to do that potentially.”"

Being this website is the Daily Knicks, let’s logically think this through from New York’s perspective. As fun and creative it may be to dream up trade scenarios like Complex Sports has, who rang up 15 trades on the ESPN Trade Machine for Durant, it is just unreasonable. As much as I would love to see Carmelo Anthony and Tim Hardaway Jr. traded for Durant, we as Knicks fans need to be realistic and not daydream, and have a repeat of the LeBron James fiasco. Let’s just stop the daydreaming right here and now. There is no way Kevin Durant comes to New York. It is like Groundhog Day, why are we putting ourselves through this all over again…there can only be heartbreak.

First off let’s dissect Tom Penn’s statement; Penn makes it sound like Durant and Russell Westbrook have not already co-existed well together for seven years. Or, like some of his colleagues in sports media have hinted that Westbrook have risen to, or ascended past Durant (which I completely disagree with). If you started a brand new league, and had a fantasy draft, you would be lying to yourself if you said you would pick Westbrook over a healthy Durant to start your franchise. Even if Westbrook is no longer Robin to Durant’s Batman, maybe Westbrook is now Superman to Durant’s Batman. Oklahoma City Thunder being the Justice League, in which they would be 1A, 1B, co-leaders. SHOUT OUT TO DC! Dan Didio and Jim Lee! As you can see I am a huge comic fan, as well as being an NBA basketball junkie. Check out their New 52 publication lineups if you are a young adult, and if you are not…buy it for your child(ren)!

Hopefully I did not lose too much people from my comic tangent, anyways, for those people who actually believe Durant should play second fiddle to Westbrook, let’s keep in mind that without Durant, the Thunder are playing in way too many close games, including an overtime game with the Philadelphia 76ers. The same Sixers team that are prompting people to rethink the whole draft system with just how blatant they are tanking multiple seasons. If and when Durant comes back healthy, there is no doubt that the Thunder is a real threat to make the Finals, and Vegas agrees. Sportsbook.ag has the Thunder as the second most likely team to be win the Western Conference, second only to the Golden State Warriors. In fact when you look at odds to win the NBA Championship, Thunder is third, trailing only the Cleveland Cavaliers and again the Warriors.

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So one has to ask, why would Durant want to leave a perennial Championship contending team. For what? The bright lights of Broadway? To be more marketable? Durant did just fine…thank you very much, see new Nike contract. When you are someone of Durant’s stature, New York really does not help raise your profile or your marketability. Durant is already one of the brightest stars in the NBA, there is not much further he can go. Maybe when you are Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak, or Landry Fields, yea…they got overpaid from their spotlight as New York Knicks. Godamit that was fun to watch…hold on while I reminisce about that among this complete crap of a season we are currently having… This was assuming Durant would want to come as a free agent.

Now if he was to demand a trade (does not seem to be in his nature), here is another problem New York has… LITERALLY HAVE NO ASSETS…what would New York give up for arguably the best player in the planet… This is the problem with trying to build a team through free agency, a player actually has to get to free agency to acquire said player. Just take a look at the Dallas Mavericks, when Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson cleared out cap space in hopes of landing Deron Williams and Dwight Howard, both players did not want to join just Dirk Nowitzki and nothing else… Dallas has since moved on from the strategy of landing a “big fish” and now have assessable a great supporting cast around Nowitzki. This way at least if a “big fish” does indeed become available, at least the Mavericks have assets to trade.

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Or maybe even a better example is how the Houston Rocket acquired James Harden, which actually, is another reason why Oklahoma City will not trade Durant! With just how badly that trade has gone for the Thunder, just from that fact alone…you cannot trade Durant. How can Sam Presti have a James Harden and a Kevin Durant trade on his resume… No matter what Oklahoma City gets back in a trade, the Thunder cannot win the trade. They will be getting quarters on the dollar, nothing can total up to Durant.

Now let’s say for argument sake in some sort of imagination land that Oklahoma City decides to trade Durant. Yes every team would be elated and jubilated initially, but then every team would also have to be suspicious as to why the Thunder would be willing to part ways with Durant. Will it be because Oklahoma City’s doctor has deemed Durant foot injury too much? As graceful as Durant’s game is, it makes you forget that Durant is a big man, and big men and foot injuries spells trouble. So if the Thunder ever does green light a trade, it might be a red flag.

“Those who do not remember their past are condemned to repeat their mistakes.”         – George Santayana

Either way, as New Yorkers let’s just not repeat what we did with LeBron James with this Durant situation. Let’s put a stop to all the Kevin Durant daydreaming right now.

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