Kevin Durant’s brother has interesting response to Blazers’ recruiting efforts
May 8, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) warms up before game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Durant’s brother definitely sees the Portland Trail Blazers acting up online right now.
Tony Durant, the older brother of the former MVP, offered an interesting response on Saturday to Portland’s recruiting pitch. Blazers star Damian Lillard notably posted about Kevin to his Instagram Story, and Portland teammate Jusuf Nurkic also signed off on what Lillard had shared.
Several hours later, Tony left a comment on a third-party Instagram post about the Blazers’ recruitment efforts.
“Noooooooooo sir,” wrote Tony, an apparent shooting down of Portland’s attempts to lure his brother.
While the Blazers are actively trying to improve their team, it makes little sense for Kevin to go there. He does not have any ties to the Portland area and was even passed on by the Blazers in favor of Greg Oden in the 2007 NBA Draft. Portland doesn’t have an extremely competitive core to offer either, as Lillard is even older than Kevin’s current co-star, Kyrie Irving.
If the Blazers want a realistic shot at trading for Kevin, they would almost certainly have to include Josh Hart and Eric Bledsoe for salary purposes in addition to rerouting the newly-acquired Jerami Grant. Portland may also have to prod Brooklyn with trade stimulants such as Anfernee Simons, fresh lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe, or some significant draft compensation. That would not leave much of a team for Kevin to compete with, which is why it is more likely that he lands with one of these teams instead.
