Philadelphia 76ers: What a Kevin Durant trade could look like

The Philadelphia 76ers have been linked to Kevin Durant. What could a possible deal look like? 

When Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, there were many that assumed the Philadelphia 76ers could be a landing spot for the superstar. Even less so considering it’s been less than half a year since James Harden forcefully removed himself from that situation.

Nevertheless, after a recalibrating of the story, it’s now been reported that Durant would be open to a trade to the Boston Celtics and, most importantly, the Sixers.

If that is indeed the case, the Sixers should at the very least do their due diligence in pursuing Durant. Whether they have enough assets to get a deal done or not remains to be seen, but they should at least explore the possibility of it.

And considering that Durant would be open to a trade to Philly, that probably means he is good with playing next to Harden again. And that’s an important detail that needs to be noted.

So what would a deal from the Sixers look like?

Well, let’s begin with a big piece that would have to be included for salary purposes. That’s Tobias Harris. After that, Tyrese Maxey would almost have to be included as well as Matisse Thybulle. Even more so once you come to the realization that the Sixers don’t really have many draft picks to send to Brooklyn.

They could only trade their 2029 first-round pick. After that, they would have to get creative in getting third or fourth teams involved and with draft pick swaps.

In essence, this is what a possible deal for Durant could look like. First, let’s explore what a 1-for-1 deal could look like between the Sixers and Nets.

On the surface, it may not seem like enough to land Durant. Though, Maxey does seem to be a promising prospect and for all his struggles, Thybulle has a chance to be a good player down the line.

But if the Nets are looking for more draft picks, perhaps the Sixers could work to get a third team involved. Maybe it could muster something like this:

This move would give the Nets one additional first-round draft pick but they would absorb Gordon Hayward’s contract. The good news is that they could probably flip Hayward either at the NBA Trade Deadline or next summer. It gives Brooklyn another asset they would have on the roster moving forward.

The Sixers at this point are considered one of the favorites to land Durant. It remains to be seen if any of these deals would be enough from Brooklyn’s point of view.