3 realistic trades to bring superstar Kevin Durant to the Chicago Bulls
1. A straight swap of stars
While Durant reportedly named Miami and Phoenix as his list of preferred destinations, he did also elaborate and state that he would only wish to go to either team if they kept their respective stars — Jimmy Butler and Devin Booker.
For that reason, I can only assume that Durant would also wish to play alongside Olympic teammate Zach LaVine if he were traded to the Bulls. That being said, it’s worth noting that Durant ultimately doesn’t get the final say in where he’s traded to, and Brooklyn will look for the best deal possible regardless of Durant’s fit on whichever team trades for him.
Phoenix and Miami are among two of the teams that Kevin Durant has on his wish list, sources tell ESPN, but the Nets plan to move Durant where they can get the best possible deal. With four years on his contract, there's no shortage of teams willing to unload assets for Durant.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
Still, I think the Bulls are a natural trade partner here because they have two equal stars in LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Losing one in a trade for Durant wouldn’t completely destroy the team like Miami losing Butler or Phoenix losing Booker likely would.
This scenario would be the single most effective way to get a deal done. Just like the trade that allowed the Raptors to acquire Kawhi Leonard during Toronto’s 2019 championship campaign, DeRozan would unfortunately once again be dangled here as trade bait. Considering DeMar just finished last season in the top 10 of MVP voting, he’s likely the single best player any interested party would reasonably offer for Durant’s services.
Brooklyn also gets the added benefit here of getting off of Joe Harris’ contract early, as he’s set to make $18.6 million next season and then again another $19.9 million in 2023-24 before his contract expires and he hits free agency. Harris’ shooting would also be immediately replaced by Lonzo, Pat, and Coby, each of who range from being good-to-great shooters.
Since Brooklyn does not possess their own draft picks for the foreseeable future, exchanging KD for talented players that can win now is a good business decision. But when you consider the fact Lonzo, Coby, and Pat are 24, 22, and 20 years old respectively, it’s difficult to ignore the enticing potential of this young core. Putting all of this into perspective, I believe Chicago could piece together the best package of quality assets for winning now and for later