Kevin Durant wants out of the Nets. Yes, the Nets officially went from title favorite to a complete dumpster fire.
I have heard many say they should do all they can to keep him – I disagree.
This team is not going to work at this point. Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving is now an unworkable situation. Get talent for them while you still can.
So, where should Durant go?
Durant should go to the Trailblazers.
Damian Lillard has long wanted an all-star who can help push the Blazers to the finals. Durant would certainly fit that mold.
I haven’t heard this talked about much – I did find one place talking about it.
Taking stock of the league’s current landscape, some organizations are better constructed to land Durant and put him in a position to win the title than others. But one semirealistic team that may or may not be in the actual running to land KD also happens to provide a more mutually beneficial situation than any other other: Portland.
The idea is admittedly as inconceivable as it is fulfilling. While the Blazers might not have enough to offer the Nets—in addition to an All-Star, don’t be shocked if Brooklyn’s haul includes eight or nine first-round picks that stream in from two (or maybe three) other teams—it’s O.K. to daydream about a relatively straightforward and delightful outcome that makes sense on several levels.
For starters, this could be Durant’s most satisfying success. In Portland, his team’s expectations would be tempered for the first time in years, with a solid opportunity to overachieve and blow them away. One season removed from a 27-win catastrophe that saw them tear things down and sell off some of their best veterans (CJ McCollum, Norm Powell, Robert Covington), the Blazers aren’t one piece away from being considered championship favorites, even if Durant climbs aboard. Damian Lillard’s season was also cut short by abdominal surgery. He played in only 29 games and shot a career-low 32.4% from behind the three-point line.