Dark horse team emerging for Kevin Durant?
Oct 11, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) in action against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
It is always the quiet ones that you have to watch out for … something that may also be true of the Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes this summer.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Friday on “NBA Today” that the Toronto Raptors are a team that may be lurking for the Brooklyn Nets star Durant. Wojnarowski notes that Toronto has both the young pieces and the draft capital necessary to make a run at the former NBA MVP.
After going 48-34 but losing in the first round this year, the Raptors have had a fairly muted offseason so far. They signed veteran forward Thaddeus Young and re-signed big man Chris Boucher but have not done much else.
Brooklyn reportedly wants a historic haul for Durant, and Toronto may be in a position to meet that. The Raptors have multiple All-Stars on their roster, namely, Pascal Siakam (28) and Fred VanVleet (28). They also have several coveted youngsters such as OG Anunoby (24), Gary Trent Jr. (23), Precious Achiuwa (22), rookie Christian Koloko (22), and Scottie Barnes (20).
There are some notable frontrunners right now in the race for Durant, including a couple of major contenders. But Toronto already pulled a shocker in trading for Kawhi Leonard in 2018, and now they could be priming themselves for an even bigger tsunami move.
