Raptors one of three top candidates to land Kevin Durant in trade: report
The Toronto Raptors are still in the hunt for Kevin Durant.
The 33-year-old NBA superstar has asked the Brooklyn Nets to trade him, with Shams Charania of The Athletic reporting that the Raptors are among “the most significant candidates to acquire Durant,” along with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.
According to Charania, Durant met with Nets owner Joe Tsai recently, demanding that both GM Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash be fired in order for the 12-time All-Star to return to Brooklyn.
The Nets have had limited success, given their star-studded roster, since hiring Nash as head coach in 2020.
Brooklyn had a 48-24 record in 2020-21 but lost in seven games to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. Last season was a disaster for the Nets, who finished with a 44-38 record before being swept by the Celtics in the first round.
Durant signed a four-year, $198 million contract extension just last summer.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri is of course no stranger to making bold moves, with many comparing Toronto’s interest in Durant to their acquisition of Kawhi Leonard in 2018.
The Celtics are reportedly willing to include Jaylen Brown in a trade, which is an indication that any potential deal involving Durant coming to the Raptors will have a very high price tag.
And for good reason.
While he’s getting up in years, Durant is still a force on the court. Durant scored 29.9 points per game last season, which was his highest average point total since his MVP season in 2013-14.
So who are the Raptors willing to give up? Pascal Siakam? OG Anunoby? Scottie Barnes?
We may soon find out.
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