Toronto Raptors mentioned in Superstar Trade Talks

With one year left on his deal and no promises, Kevin Durant could be Masai Ujiri’s next high-risk, high-reward move, just like Kawhi Leonard in 2018.

Jake Fischer’s Saturday Stein Line piece tackled the Phoenix Suns aggressively shopping Kevin Durant, and mentions Toronto’s name far too many times for it to be just a rumour. If anything, the Raptors’ interest in Durant’s services is legitimate. However, it remains to be seen whether they are a long shot or a dark horse to land 15-time NBA All-Star Durant.

This isn’t the first rodeo for Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri and GM Bobby Webster when it comes to taking a gamble on a superstar on an expiring contract. Their 2018 trade for Kawhi Leonard turned into a historic one-year fling that resulted in Toronto’s first NBA championship. Can history repeat itself with Durant?

Would Durant be worth the risk?

The parallels are there — KD is a distressed superstar, but unlike Kawhi, he’s an aging (but still elite) forward. There is also the significant risk of having no long-term commitment to extend past next season.

Durant’s contract has only one year left, worth approximately $50 million. There’s no indication he’s interested in extending his stay wherever he lands, let alone committing to a new market like Toronto. Trading premium assets for what may be a one-season rental would require significant faith from Raptors brass that Durant’s addition will propel this team into a legit title contender.

The Price for Durant may be too high

The Phoenix Suns are not looking to rebuild — they want win-now assets in return for Durant, which works well for the Raptors. Per Fischer, Phoenix reportedly wanted to retool around Devin Booker instead of taking a step back, and the Raptors have several rotational pieces that can help with salary matching. Two of Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett, and Brandon Ingram are potential trade centrepieces to make salary matching work easily. I know it’s Durant, but given where he’s at in his stage of his career, it’s a bit too much if you have to include one of Gradey Dick or Jakobe Walter on top of the names above.

However, the price becomes even steeper if the Raptors have to include multiple 1st-round picks, including the 9th pick in this upcoming draft, let alone including Scottie Barnes in trade discussions.

Durant doesn’t seem to fit the Raptors’ current goals

The Suns could be just trying to start a bidding war to get the best return for Durant. At 37 years old, he’s no longer the same Slim Reaper that spooked the Raptors fanbase back in the 2019 Finals.

Does it matter whether Durant prefers elsewhere? It’s a factor, but it hasn’t stopped the Raptors from taking that gamble. If anything, if Durant can help bring another chip to the city, Toronto’s one of those teams that will put him on a pedestal even if he doesn’t stay — heck, he may even get a statue or a jersey retirement as a thank you. Or, at the very least, he can wine and dine for free in Toronto.

The Raptors are lurking — calculating, listening, maybe even preparing. But right now, Masai and Bobby remain in the shadows of this superstar sweepstakes, which is fine — their M.O. is that they’re the team nobody talks about until it’s too late. Just like they were in 2018, and with the Brandon Ingram trade.

Additionally, a Durant trade will result in another one of those situations where the Raptors’ front office gets caught speaking from both sides of its mouth, as we are just a year or two removed from “getting younger” and “rebuilding.”

The question is: will history repeat itself, or is this one superstar saga the Raptors are better off watching from afar? Unless Masai Ujiri is willing to overpay, Toronto remains more of a long shot than a dark horse.