One team that has been mentioned as a possible trade destination for Kevin Durant is the New Orleans Pelicans.
The main reason why is because the Pelicans have a star in Brandon Ingram. In fact, it was the Nets who reportedly reached out to the Pelicans to see if they were interested in a possible deal.
While the Pelicans are seemingly not interested in dealing Ingram for Durant, big man Larry Nance Jr. recently expressed his belief that he and Ingram combined with some future draft picks in exchange for Durant would be a fair trade.
“The one that I saw was B.I., myself and picks,” he said. “That makes sense.”
Nance was discussing the difference between that potential deal and the rumored asking price that the Nets came to the Minnesota Timberwolves with. According to a report, the Nets asked for Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and future draft picks, which Nance called “entirely too much.”
The Nets sent this proposal to the Timberwolves:
T-Wolves get:
Kevin DurantNets get:
Karl-Anthony Towns
Anthony Edwards
4 draft picksTimberwolves rejected the offer.
(Via @VinceGoodwill) pic.twitter.com/cJTSPfxsgw
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) July 7, 2022
Though Durant is still one of the most talented players in the NBA, he is getting up there in age. He’ll be 34 years old by the time the 2022-23 NBA regular season begins. Moreover, he has a concerning injury history.
He missed the entire 2019-20 season due to an Achilles injury, played just 35 games in the 2020-21 season and played 55 games in the most recent campaign.
He’d be a great addition to a team that is ready to win now and willing to mortgage its future to land a superstar.
However, teams like the Pelicans and Wolves, which are led by numerous young stars, would likely rather retain their players and picks and continue building for more future success.
