Kevin Durant continues to seek a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, and when it comes to where he would like to end up, it looks like another team can be added to the list. In addition to the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics, Durant also views the Philadelphia 76ers as a “welcome landing spot,” according to SNY’s Ian Begley.
Durant’s interest in Philadelphia is reportedly mutual, as there are some high-ranking members of the 76ers organization who are indeed interested in engaging with Brooklyn on a trade.
From Begley:
Something worth noting: As of earlier this week, there were high-ranking members of the Sixers who’ve felt strongly about engaging with Brooklyn on a Durant trade… It is unknown if Brooklyn and Philadelphia have made any recent progress on a trade.
Previous reports stated that the Suns were at or near the top of the list of teams Durant would like to be traded to. An offseason trade to Phoenix seems unlikely due to the DeAndre Ayton signing. So what happens now? Well, it’s worth noting that, in addition to Boston, Durant also sees Philadelphia as another welcome landing spot, per people familiar with the matter.
In order to execute a deal, the Sixers would have to part with a huge haul that would likely include several draft picks, Tobias Harris and promising young guard Tyrese Maxey. Such a deal isn’t necessarily a no-brainer for the Sixers. Obviously, acquiring Durant would widen the team’s current championship window, but it may limit their long-term prospects. Durant turns 34 next month, while Maxey is still just 21. Plus, trading away several upcoming picks would leave the Sixers with few avenues for improvement down the road.
That doesn’t mean that the Sixers shouldn’t do the deal. In fact, for a team that hasn’t won a title since 1983, there are many who would argue that they should do whatever it takes to win in the now, the future be damned. Will Philadelphia’s front office view it that way? It’s also fair to wonder if the Nets would even want to trade Durant to the Sixers after trading James Harden to them earlier this year. The two teams are in the same division, after all.
Durant and Harden obviously have a history together, as the two previously played together in Oklahoma City and Brooklyn. Apparently there’s no lingering ill will between them after Harden asked for a trade out of Brooklyn last season, as the two were recently seen working out together in Barcelona. Durant has also been extremely complimentary of Sixers star center Joel Embiid in the past. Earlier this year, Durant called Embiid “unstoppable.”
So, it makes sense why Durant might be interested in joining the Sixers, and similarly, it’s easy to see why the Sixers would want to add Durant to a team that already has championship aspirations. It will be interesting to see if discussions between the two teams advance in any sort of meaningful way, or even take place, in the coming weeks.
