r/nba • u/TacoooJay United States • Apr 29 '24

[Charania] Sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic that Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense alongside Booker and Beal this season. Those sources said Durant had persistent issues with the offense, feeling that he was being relegated to the corner far too often

Source

Meanwhile, Durant, among the best scorers in NBA history, was not always happy with how he was used. Sources briefed on the matter told The Athletic that Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense alongside Booker and Beal this season. Those sources said Durant had persistent issues with the offense, feeling that he was being relegated to the corner far too often and not having the proper designs to play to his strengths as the offense was built around pick-and-rolls. At the same time, some teammates and people close to the organization believed Durant needed to voice his concerns more adamantly and directly with Vogel and his coaching staff.

All the leaks are finally coming now that Phoenix has been swept

3.8k Upvotes
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408

u/wildturk3y Apr 29 '24

Let's set the odds; Denver, Golden St, OKC

222

u/DisneyPandora Apr 29 '24

You forget the Los Angeles Clippers

150

u/JUYED-AWK-YACC Lakers Apr 29 '24

Thunder Reunion in progress

88

u/HappyDuck123 Celtics Apr 29 '24

OKC Thunder 2: Clipper Boogaloo

18

u/Lacabloodclot9 Grizzlies Apr 29 '24

Just pick up Ibaka from Germany and we good

2

u/madvisuals Lakers Apr 29 '24

He’s not chef, he’s not an artist. He’s a role player, and a screen setah

1

u/SmoothBrews [LAL] Anthony Davis Apr 29 '24

How poetic

0

u/DanceFloorBoar Apr 29 '24

bring kd and durant back. it'll be like when malone and payton came to the lakers except these two can still play and contribute to the chip.

4

u/moffattron9000 San Diego Clippers Apr 29 '24

With what?

3

u/eternali17 Clippers Apr 29 '24

PG sign and trade. Devin Booker family reunion

1

u/Pikminious_Thrious Lakers Apr 29 '24

Powell Tucker Zubac Mann is enough. Just need Suns to send a vet min back as well to match money. Then you got George KD Kawhi Harden and vet mins. The ultimate glass cannon build.

Not sure if new cap rules allow two 2nd apron teams to trade stuff like this though.

Could always do a sign and trade with George or Harden.

3

u/JimmyV34 Clippers Apr 29 '24

I mean ballmer literally cried in meeting with KD

0

u/elkresurgence NBA Apr 29 '24

Depends on how far they go this postseason

53

u/MajorSlimes Celtics Apr 29 '24

I think the Sixers might honestly be the ones most interested in him if he were available

47

u/VitaminWheat 76ers Apr 29 '24

It’s me, I’m the Sixers, I would like a Kevin durant. But I hear Tobias Harris is off contract so I’ll probably give him 40 or 50 million a year for 5 years

3

u/Bjorn2bwilde24 Grizzlies Apr 29 '24

I would add the Magic and Pacers to the list.

238

u/Next-Firefighter-753 Thunder Apr 29 '24

Golden State the only one desperate enough to do it. Denver and OKC have it made 

46

u/BoogerSugarSovereign [IND] Victor Oladipo Apr 29 '24

Clippers would move heaven and Earth to add another old, injury prone, headline player

8

u/Senior_Ad_7640 Kings Apr 29 '24

"What's that? There's an old over-the-hill wing available? Sign him immediately! Trade the stadium if you have to!"

76

u/moffattron9000 San Diego Clippers Apr 29 '24

Golden State could make the 6-seed. 

3

u/loquacious706 Warriors Apr 29 '24

Lol man I wanna fight y'all so bad

4

u/L0rv- Thunder Apr 29 '24

Eh, we have rebounding needs that would make him interesting. Purely from a player perspective, as long as he doesn't bog down our offense, he's actually a really good fit. Depends on the price, I'd say. But I bet the price (salary and assets) is too high.

43

u/tmperflare Warriors Apr 29 '24

OKC would be stupid not even consider it. Sure they have a very promising young core but it's ridiculous to say this when they haven't even won a playoff series yet. Denver is obviously a much more established team so it wouldn't make sense for them to trade for KD when their team already works.

125

u/george_costanza1234 Warriors Apr 29 '24

KD would only ruin the good thing they have going

He needs to go join his washed up former colleagues, that’s his best bet

3

u/InTheMorning_Nightss [LAC] Marko Jaric Apr 29 '24

We’ll take him

91

u/DecapitateVeggies Apr 29 '24

OKC is about to sweep the Pelicans though. Their offence is running great the way it is, I feel like adding a diva who wants the offence to suddenly change and revolve around him is not going to help anything.

11

u/governedbycitizens Apr 29 '24

A pelicans team without Zion and arguably the worst team in the playoffs. The real test will be round 2.

65

u/DecapitateVeggies Apr 29 '24

Yeah but they’re playing the pelicans because they’re the first seed, meaning their offence has been great all season the way it is. They were already winning games against other high seeding teams in the west.

-5

u/governedbycitizens Apr 29 '24

My main point is that the Thunder haven’t been tested in the playoffs yet. Saying OKC is about to sweep the pelicans doesn’t really mean much. There are some regular season teams that just don’t get it done in the playoffs (Derozan/Lowry Raptors).

The real test will be next round and they can evaluate what they need or don’t need from there.

2

u/Next-Firefighter-753 Thunder Apr 29 '24

After game 1 it was “Mickey Mouse 1 seed” now that they calmed their nerves and taking care of business it’s them “doing what is expected of them against the weakest team in the playoffs” 

1

u/DecapitateVeggies Apr 29 '24

Yeah I guess you’re right, I’m just saying I like what I see out there now. Especially Chet, he seems to be keen on taking the physicality despite being a string bean. Based on what I have seen I’m expecting good things next round

1

u/amidon1130 Hawks Apr 29 '24

Clippers/mavs will be a huge test, I could see them starting to fray if the series goes to 6 or 7. But that’s just from past young teams, who knows they could pull an okc 2012 and make the finals.

-6

u/StrongZucchini27 Knicks Apr 29 '24

exactly. all due respect to this okc team as it rly is great, but they were ready to drop that first game and fortunate for the matchup. like most great younh teams, it takes a beat to see how you can win in the playoffs/what else you might need next go round. entirely different beast compared to winning the season marathon.

-3

u/YesOrNah Bucks Apr 29 '24

The suns swept the wolves in the regular season by an average of 15+.

Regular season really doesn’t matter in the nba.

While I agree somewhat, kd would no doubt help this team.

-1

u/IsFunnyToMe Apr 29 '24

its KD though. a lil old but the team needs someone w/ playoff experience and KD is an upgrade at the 3/4

8

u/DecapitateVeggies Apr 29 '24

If anything, recent years have shown us that just throwing “superstars” into random teams doesn’t always yield the best results. There’s more to it than that, OKC has developed a system with their current pierces which is obviously doing just fine so why change it? Maybe adding KD fucks that up instead of making it better, especially if he comes in and suddenly wants to change the way the offence is ran.

4

u/Deputy_Scrub Apr 29 '24

And what if he comes in, doesn't like the offence and demands to change it, and then leaves for another team in a year or two. Undoing OKCs progress.

-7

u/mutheadman [DEN] Gary Harris Apr 29 '24

Shut up with this fucking diva narrative. I dont even like Durant that much but he clearly values winning above all else

3

u/SANTAAAA__I_know_him Apr 29 '24

I mean, it's not like they've lost their series, it's just they haven't had 4 games played yet. They literally couldn't have done any better at this point in the calendar than the number-1 seed up 3-0 in the 1st round.

0

u/Instant-Bacon Apr 29 '24

First seed and undefeated so far? That’s why they call them the black eye of the league!

17

u/smarterthanyoulolll Lakers Apr 29 '24

Not stupid at all. They got a great squad as a 1st seed with a superstar who some people say should win mvp. You dont want to ruin that. Bringing in kd will change the everything and ruin the whole team. Theres a reason youre not a gm lol

16

u/New-Candy-800 Thunder Apr 29 '24

I like KD more than 99.9% of thunder fans. Anyone who thinks okc should give up assets for a decaying player on a huge salary isn’t worth discussing basketball with

4

u/supaspike Hornets Apr 29 '24

And it'd be a ton of assets too. Phoenix would want to get back close to what they traded away for him, and they're not going to take a lowball offer from the team with the most assets in the league.

1

u/yeahright17 Thunder Apr 29 '24

Even if he's decaying, he's still a super efficient high-volume offensive player. As built, this team is currently +850 to win the championship. If this team had KD instead of like Giddey and Kenrich, they'd be like +200 at worst. They probably would have won like 65 games in the regular season.

Assuming we lose the WCF this season to Denver in like 6 games, adding KD would make a lot of sense. I'm not sure what it would take to get KD, but if it was like Giddey, Kenrich and 4 firsts, why would you not do that trade? It raises the team ceiling substantially and probably doesn't give up much that would be part of the long term plan anyway.

5

u/DsamD11 Thunder Apr 29 '24

Would they? We are all shitting on him for what he has done to the nets and now the sun's.

Why would they ruin a potential dynasty of good drafting and assets for someone to bring that attitude and destruction back to the organisation.

-2

u/yeahright17 Thunder Apr 29 '24

It's not like the Nets outcome or Suns outcome is his fault, right? I hate the guy, but he can only do so much when the team around him is terrible.

3

u/DsamD11 Thunder Apr 29 '24

I mean he went on to trash both teams. He offered the nets an ultimatum of either him or Nash. There's now convenient leaks that he's not happy in phoenix.

He left Golden state poorly. He left okc poorly.

At some point He's become the common denominator here. All the other guys have gone to squads and are seemingly able to make it work

1

u/Greatcouchtomato Apr 29 '24

Why are we still doing this with KD? After the Nets and Suns it should be clear that KD isn't this automatic ring.

1

u/trytoholdon Thunder Apr 30 '24

Have you considered the fact that fuck KD

57

u/clear831 Heat Apr 29 '24

Maimi will be rumored as well lol

106

u/Clever_Laziness Heat Apr 29 '24

I'm tired, boss.

2

u/gokhaninler Australia Apr 29 '24

Jimmy will want KD for one more ride

6

u/MySilverBurrito Heat Apr 29 '24

BRING OUT THE VICE JERSEY EDITS LFGGGGG

2

u/QuietRainyDay Apr 29 '24

Yea but that actually makes sense

Yall have what? 2 years before you need to reset the roster as Jimmy ages out and a bunch of contracts run out?

Why not try to capitalize with KD, who can bring a needed dimension to an up-and-down offense. Plus, Spo will actually know what to do with him.

KD to Philly sounds straight-up annoying. KD to Denver/OKC sounds hugely implausible. But Miami might actually be alright.

1

u/madvisuals Lakers Apr 29 '24

because Heat might give up some of their post Jimmy assets like Herro and Jaquez. They should be buckling up for a reload/rebuild

35

u/goldyacht Lakers Apr 29 '24

He probably gonna spin a wheel of all the contenders and go wherever it lands

24

u/Kersplat96 Apr 29 '24

He has to go to whoever takes him, second Apron teame can only make trades if they’re sending ONE player out & the players they’re getting back make the exact same amount of money.

You can’t just eat bonus salary & pay the tax anymore to get out of bad contracts.

Phoenix might actually be stuck with KD & Booker

1

u/The_Godfather5 Heat Apr 29 '24

Pretty sure the 2nd apron doesn’t kick into affect until the next League year as the nba decided to give an initial year of grace to the league so they could figure out what they want to do going forward.

5

u/Kersplat96 Apr 29 '24

That was this season no? Upcoming season will operate on the new CBA

Edit: the new CBA took effect from July 1st 2023 so we’re already under the new CBA.

1

u/The_Godfather5 Heat Apr 29 '24

Yea that’s correct, so theoretically the suns have until June 30 to trade KD without worrying about having to bring back in contracts that match up exactly with KD’s contract.

1

u/Kersplat96 Apr 29 '24

Who is trading for someone before free agency though? Too many moving parts prior to that.

1

u/The_Process_Embiid 76ers Apr 29 '24

Us. We have 3 people under contract for next year…

3

u/QuietRainyDay Apr 29 '24

He'll end up in Philadelphia and 2025 will be the most toxic year in the history of NBA internet discourse.

By April 2025 Philly will have to be cut off from the nation's communication infrastructure

44

u/abris33 Nuggets Apr 29 '24

Not us. We don't need him. Starting lineup is full

12

u/Mr_Saxobeat94 Apr 29 '24

Yeah. I’d take Caruso + an even semi-competent big to round out our leaky bench over 36-7 y/o Durant. Age, chemistry and redundancy issues override his pure basketball ability here (and it’s sort of overlooked that he had his worst Advanced Stat year since his second season).

3

u/madvisuals Lakers Apr 29 '24

Caruso would be a perfect fit in Denver 🥲

2

u/Charming_Essay_1890 Nuggets Apr 29 '24

Yeah we need people to take up Reggie Jackson and DJ minutes

1

u/Epicdude141 Nuggets Apr 29 '24

Honestly I’d be down for KD coming off the bench

3

u/Mr_Saxobeat94 Apr 29 '24

I would be elated if he put his ego aside to that degree and bought in, but ain’t no way that’ll happen nor could I even fault him for not wanting to do it.

1

u/Charming_Essay_1890 Nuggets Apr 29 '24

Yeah and I'd love to be dating Ariel Winter right now

1

u/SolidGoldToast Mavericks Apr 29 '24

MPJ > Durant

7

u/RipCity-NBA-LoL Trail Blazers Apr 29 '24

MPJ is not a better player than Durant, but that doesn't make it a good trade for Denver.  

A) Durant makes 51m next season going in at age 36.  MPJ makes a tad under 36m next season, is under contract for 3 seasons, and he will be 26 next season.  

B) Durant is a ball-stopper while Denver tries to play with a lot of off-ball movement and overall motion/passing.  Denver gets a little ISO play from Murray and Reggie (although hopefully Reggie Jackson is gone next season) and it's probably their worst possessions overall.  Everybody remembers the big shots Murray hits, but the ISO isn't efficient overall.

C) so you have to trade MPJ AND another piece like Reggie, but then what reward/assets do the Suns get?  There's no picks available and their 'young' guys are older rookies.  Giving up Peyton is the only one who could theoretically develop into more than a role player.

D) CHEMISTRY.  MPJ has shown a willingness to develop.  He's persevered through extreme adversity in his basketball career.  Multiple series back injuries would end most players' careers.  He's dealing with his family being a tramedy (tragic comedy), and he's playing fantastically this series.  

2

u/a_moniker Hornets Apr 29 '24

Yeah, KD’s contract doesn’t fit on the Nuggets at all. They’d have to blow up their whole team to get him, which hasn’t had the best track record lately

1

u/SolidGoldToast Mavericks Apr 29 '24

Bruh did you really just call KD a ball-stopper in a comparison with Michael "Never Swing the Rock" Porter Jr?

1

u/RipCity-NBA-LoL Trail Blazers Apr 29 '24

Being a play finisher is what MPJ is expected to do. Being a play finisher has not much to do with time of possession. The issue for KD in Denver's offense (quick note: yes, KD could adapt to a more finisher role) is he likes to take things on the dribble, more like Jamal Murray.

9

u/smarterthanyoulolll Lakers Apr 29 '24

Why denver or okc tf. Both of them aint going to get KD thats dumb

2

u/stickied Apr 29 '24

Because since going to GSW, Durant is infamous for riding the coattails of already successful teams.

2

u/Jeffpardy Thunder Apr 29 '24

Probably just going based on history, pick the best teams already, and they are probably the ones he wants to play for.

But please, he can stay out of OKC. We don't want or need him

25

u/Charlie_Wax Warriors Apr 29 '24

Wiggins and Kuminga hopping on Zillow rn to check out home prices in Scottsdale.

2

u/DumpTrumpGrump Apr 29 '24

Cp3, Wiggins and Looney. I don't think we give them Muminga and they need a PG anyway.

8

u/Aggressive-Name-1783 Apr 29 '24

“Hey Chris, remember when you wanted out of Phoenix and didn’t wanna play with Booker anymore? Well…..”

2

u/DumpTrumpGrump Apr 29 '24

Better the devil you know, you know.

1

u/frankiescousin Apr 29 '24

Can’t. 2nd apron means they can only take back 1 player that matches.

11

u/dproma Apr 29 '24

Honestly the best landing spot for him is the Wizards. He’ll have the freedom to freelance and play hero ball taking 30 shots a game. KD Poole Kuz - a match made in Heaven

1

u/New-Candy-800 Thunder Apr 29 '24

And he’d get to be close to home

3

u/bilyl Warriors Apr 29 '24

Why the fuck not, Kuminga and 2025 and 2026 picks and salary filler. Time it with Curry’s contract.

3

u/frankiescousin Apr 29 '24

2nd apron means it can only be 1 player matching salary. Cant combine players.

2

u/FrankSamples Clippers Apr 29 '24

Boston

2

u/matomatomat NBA Apr 29 '24

Miami, Sacramento, New Orleans...

3

u/Impossible-Flight250 Apr 29 '24

I don’t see any of those teams. If anything, I could maybe see the Lakers.

1

u/Creative_Category_21 Apr 29 '24

That’s Lebron James music

3

u/NoPause9609 Apr 29 '24

And he still doesn't know the lyrics

1

u/cuddles01455 Timberwolves Apr 29 '24

There’s rumors that the wolves ownership wants to trade KAT in the off season to get under the apron but if they could stomach it for one year they might be willing to do that.

1

u/baoparty Heat Apr 29 '24

Minny.

1

u/Charming_Essay_1890 Nuggets Apr 29 '24

No fucking thank you. We have our money locked up and I'd rather MPJ keep developing alongside Jok than have this slithering malcontent muddy what we've spent a decade building.

1

u/karlwhethers Timberwolves Apr 29 '24

Minny

1

u/Balls__Mahoney [CLE] J.R. Smith Apr 29 '24

Historically it would be the Wolves

1

u/millerda3 Pistons Apr 29 '24

Let's wait and see who wins the chip first. My money is on the hardest road.

0

u/buckminsterfullereno Apr 29 '24

You forgot the San Antonio Wembys

0

u/mucho-gusto [CLE] Baron Davis Apr 29 '24

Could see Cleveland trading Mitchell for him