Flemings kind of ran out of gas near the end of the season, but you could definitely see how great he can be with more time to develop. I do think he can be an all-star in the NBA. He’s down to seven in this mock draft: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...nd-picks-nba-lottery-dybantsa-boozer-peterson
A solid starter and a 1st round pick. Our team chemistry was destroyed by KD. As long as he is on the team we're doomed. Just look at the body language of the players this season. They don't like playing with KD. When we had Brooks and Green the team looked a lot more cohesive as a unit. KD's gotta go and unless we find an idiot GM like Stone we need to be realistic about the return.
Folks are being delusional in what they believe we will get back for Durant. Our only hope is either GSW or Miami is desperate and give up a mid-lottery pick and filler for him. Other than that, you will have to eat a horrible contract to even get a mid-lottery pick.
I guess it depends where he wants to go. If it’s really the Heat I would swing for a Herro / Ware trade but probably won’t happen. Would settle for Herro + MIA26’ 1st but Pat probably won’t trade that first. Would still rather bring back Herro on a contract year than multi year bad salary. At least Herro helps put a bandaid on our guard crisis for a year I would like to get in this years draft & add a guard basically
Of course, Herro and Ware is a no brainer, but Riley ain’t going for it. I think it’s Herro or Wiggins and filler and maybe a protected future frp from Miami. You might be able to swing Ware and Herro and this year’s Miami pick for Durant and the 27 Phoenix and 29 Dallas pick. Would you do that? I would, not sure Riley would. I think GSW would do Butler and 26 pick for him, if Durant would agree.
The Suns had to take on the bad contract of Jalen Green just to move KD a year ago, there's no way to move KD without taking on a contract that is as bad or worse than that.
I’d do the DAL pick but I would much prefer to attach the PHX pick to Fred for a starting PG(DJM) or DFS for someone like Jerome If Ware is on the table I might even do Reed & KD for Herro & Ware if we plan on trading Sengun for picks & bench players after I don’t think I would touch a Butler deal with GSW
Butler’s just an expiring contract. The value in the deal is a mid-lottery pick. Money doesn’t work on your Miami trade. It would if they included Mitchell. I still don’t think Ware is available in a trade for KD without us sending out a good frp, which, in my opinion, is his worth.
While I thought it was too much then, and certainly do now... It gives me peace to know that Dillon is about to become way OVERPAID. (further handcuffing them) He had a career year, and it's never going to get that good again. Maluach is soft and busty Charmin. And, the jury's still out on JG.
I'd try and get Bam and Davion Mitchell from Miami for KD. Then I'd try and move Jabari for another shooter and give Tari Jabari's contract. If anyone could work with KD it would probably be Spoelstra and he'd probably love Miami.
I just don’t want to deal with an old Butler lol. I doubt we deal Fred so yeah I’d include the PHX pick for Ware. I still think I’d rather just go with Herro over GSW. Fills the guard void and is only 26. Can trade him or resign if we wanted. I wouldn’t mind a 3 year deal with him followed by another deal for a defined bench role with us
Adeyemo would take Sengun and 3 picks. You guys are way over-valuing KD and that would be a mass underpay for Adeyemo. Adeyemo is Heat for life in my opinion.
Realistically, who is trading for KD? He is a super star but he is clear about his desired role: be passed to and make buckets. He would not be useful in developing a locker room and if I am a GM I see him as a liability.
He is only useful to team’s with a strong willed head coach and a team with an alpha dog. Pretty much it’s GSW or nothing at this point.
Intuitively: 1. KD is not going to a team that he doesn't want to go to / a market he doesn't want to go to. 2. Stone is not going to trade KD in a deal that makes the original trade look way worse. The KD trade from Phoenix "saved" the Jalen Green draft pick, so the KD trade out of Houston can't be an L on paper, or else Stone would be throwing the org under the bus for both transactions, which he won't do. Stone/Patrick would just keep KD instead rather than crystallizing an L. Given that, the possibilities narrow down a lot. Probably down to something like the Knicks for Bridges + McBride + #24, or the Warriors for Butler + two draft assets, or maaaybe the Heat or Nuggets (but I'd put those latter two as very very unlikely; the Heat didn't bid enough last summer, and the Nuggets just don't have the right salary matching or picks).
The Knicks option you mentioned is interesting. KD is probably willing to play there. It does get us back into the first round, albeit fairly late. (Is there any possible way we could move up more by packaging future picks and/or second rounders?) Bridges + McBride would at least give us back some shooting and make our roster less "all power forwards all the time". The Bridges contract is fairly ugly though. I'd put it at about $10M in terms of average annual overpay for his talent level and age. I guess McBride being on the minimum next season makes up for it a little bit.
We just saw what the playoffs (specifically the offense) is like without KD. If say we trade KD, what are the skills folks are looking for in return? Someone to offset our non-shooters? Someone who can score, shoot, do some creation and a willing passer... somone like a KD? I root for the young guys are on our squad, but if people are to place blame, why point to the guy who only played one game in the series. In the stages of grief, I think we're in the denial stage, the shortcomings are those who played in the playoffs. Say KD is gone. Sengun is gone. Who do you think the other team will start trapping, doubling or putting their best defender on. Do you think that person can take the heat. Reed and Amen's values would tank through the floors. At which point, you can't even flip those guys for better assets.
