The Toronto Raptors pulled a rabbit out of the hat when they traded their star player, DeMar DeRozan, for Kawhi Leonard back in 2018, despite knowing they would likely only be getting him for one season. Kawhi came in and went supernova for the Raptors, leading them to their first ever NBA Championship. The Raptors are now being touted as one of the most likely teams to acquire Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets following his trade request. They may have pulled out a rabbit in 2018 but a trade for KD would be much more expensive and would not guarantee the success it should, given the price.

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Kevin Durant will be 34 to begin next season, and despite his continued excellence when on the floor, the achilles injury he suffered during the 2019 NBA Finals is slowly taking a toll on his body. Durant missed the entire 2019/20 season because of the injury. Before missing the majority of the 2020/21 season too, and this last year he played just 55 regular season games, the lowest of his career without suffering any major injury.

Having said this, when he is on the floor he still delivers at an elite level. Durant averaged 27 points, 7 rebounds & nearly 6 assists in 35 games in 2020/21 before 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists last season on shooting splits of 52/38/91.

The playoffs are where we see the signs of decline (for Durant, still great for others). In 2021, he came back into a team that featured both Kyrie Irving & James Harden and he dominated, averaging 34/9/4 on shooting splits of 51/40/87 and just missed out on beating the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in the conference semi-finals.

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However, in 2022 he was forced to put the team on his back and virtually carry the team on all fronts. With James Harden being traded at the deadline and Kyrie Irving missing more games than he played due to Covid-19 regulations. The Nets were ultimately swept by the Boston Celtics in the 1st round of the playoffs after finishing 7th in the East. Durant averaged 26 points (2nd lowest Playoff PPG of his career), 6 rebounds (2nd lowest Playoff RPG of his career) and 6 assists. While shooting 38.6% from the field & 33.3% from three, the worst shooting splits of his playoff career since his first playoff series in 2010.

A lot of numbers but the facts are this, Kevin Durant can still be the best player on a competitive team but he can no longer carry a team to regular season & playoff success.

How a potential trade would impact the Raptors current roster and assets:

As the roster stands right now, the Toronto Raptors adding Kevin Durant would make them a favorite for the 2023 NBA title. However, we are not talking about a free agency signing or a trade package similar to that which brought Kawhi Leonard to Toronto, we are likely talking about the biggest trade package in NBA history.

The Raptors have a young core, led by 2022 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes (21), Gary Trent Jr (23) & OG Anunoby (25), for an offer to be considered by Brooklyn, Toronto would have to include Barnes and at least one of Trent Jr & OG. The franchise also has two proven stars in Pascal Siakam & Fred VanVleet, both former All-Stars, and members of the 2019 title winning team. At least one of them would have to be included in a deal for Durant, on top of at least three first round draft picks and potential pick swaps.

In all likely-hood Toronto would be giving up a war chest to add a 34 year old superstar, who probably only has a couple of years of elite play left in him, to an average team. If Masai Ujiri is playing the odds, the risk is not worth the reward, despite the fact that Durant is under contract for the next four years.

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When Durant requested a trade away from Brooklyn, he made it clear he wanted to go to either Phoenix or Miami, provided they kept all their major assets (nearly impossible of course). KD does not want to go to Toronto and the Raptors would have to give up at least one of their All-Stars (Siakam or VanVleet) & at least two of their rising stars (Barnes, Trent Jr & OG Anunoby), which would make them a relatively average team in an improving Eastern Conference, even with perhaps the greatest scorer of our time in Kevin Durant.

Any potential trade for Kevin Durant was a no brainer back in 2016 (when he left Oklahoma City) but things have changed despite him still being a near 7 foot, 28 point, 7 rebound, 50/40/90 shooter. Any realistic trade would be a mistake for the Raptors and one they could live to regret for years to come.

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(PHOTO- Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

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