NBA Rumors: Where The Oklahoma City Thunder Could Trade Kevin Durant

NBA Rumors: With the pressure officially on the organization, here is where the Oklahoma City Thunder could realistically trade Kevin Durant

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Rumors swirled in the past week about the New York Knicks looking to turn their lottery selection into a bonafide star via trade as opposed to actually drafting a player on June 25th. One of the players that the Knicks were reportedly interested in acquiring was reigning NBA MVP, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Durant was injured for a majority of this past season, but his abilities are still highly coveted by teams across the league. With him on board, the Knicks would have two perennial contenders for the league scoring title (Carmelo Anthony would be the other).

There’s a major question mark looming over the Thunders’ willingness to move their franchise centerpiece: Do they think they can retain him when he hits free agency a year from now?

If they’re certain that they can lock him up for the foreseeable future, than quite frankly there’s no real reason to even contemplate moving him. However if the doubt is creeping in to the back of their mind that he’d be willing to stay in OKC for the remainder of his career, then they certainly should look to shop him.

The Thunder already have another cornerstone to build their team around going forward in triple-double machine, Russell Westbrook. Turning KD into a handful of other young pieces is something that could benefit the squad greatly. They’ve shown in the past with the likes of Durant, Westbrook, MVP front runner James Harden, and defensive stud Serge Ibaka that they are capable of developing young talent.

If that’s really the route they’re choosing to go in, they can certainly do a lot better than the New York Knicks’ offer of this year’s first round pick. Aside from that pick and Melo, they don’t have any other real assets to give up. Certainly the prospect of coming away from the draft with a guy like Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns is tantalizing, but a talent like Durant’s is hard to come by.

Jan 2, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) warms up prior to action against the Washington Wizards at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Other options

The Bucks have a first-round pick that will likely fall somewhere in the middle of the first round. Want to know what else the Bucks have? Assets…lots and lots of assets. Guys like Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who are young and have the potential to be All-Stars going forward in their careers. A package deal for the two of them and one (or two) picks is certainly worth losing the remaining year of KD that they have.

Another team that has some young assets is the Orlando Magic. They have a lottery pick, and guys like Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic who could certainly contribute to a semi-rebuild in Oklahoma City.

Now I know what you’re thinking, there’s no way that Kevin Durant would be alright with going to Milwaukee or Orlando next season, but the beauty of the position the Thunder are in right now is that he really doesn’t have a choice. His contract doesn’t include a no-trade clause. In all likelihood he would opt to jump ship in free agency after a year in either of those places.

So now you’re probably wondering why either of those teams would be so willing to sell out their future for a year of Durant? Well it’s because he’s Kevin Durant.

For a team like the Bucks, who don’t have the fanfare of most other NBA teams, hitching their wagon to a guy like the Durantula who has more followers on social media than the Bucks have fans, would certainly bode well for the franchise.

They have a young head coach in Jason Kidd, who has essentially been given the reigns to the organization as a whole, and he’s probably be salivating at the thought of a bonafide stud like KD gracing the hardwood in Milwaukee.

Add to that the fact that Milwaukee is in the playoffs for just the third time in the past nine seasons, so next year they’ll be desperate to improve on this year’s impending first round sweep. A guy like Durant can all but guarantee that you’re moving on to at least the second round of the playoffs.

As for the Orlando Magic’s desire to rent Durant for a season…they’re in need of some serious image rebranding. They have a solid young core but they have a tendency to let their stars walk away with almost no return stemming from it. Taking this chance on KD for a year might buy them a few more years of patience with their fan base and the worst that could come of this is that KD helps the young guys that remain after the trade develop.

There’s no guarantee that the Oklahoma City Thunder will be looking to move Kevin Durant in the coming months. Although, there are major questions that surround the entire situation and that begins with the acquisition of a new head coach now that Scott Brooks has been released.

Should the Thunder decide to part ways with KD this offseason, they have to be selfish with what they’ll get in return for him. They have to be less concerned with sending him to an organization like the Knicks, where he might actually enjoy his time, and more focused on sending him to a team like the Bucks and Magic who have something to give up in return.

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