NBA Kevin Durant requests a trade

[Stylizer1]

Superstars were just as unlikable 20+ years ago

Shaq's overall buffoonery, and leaving the Magic to make shitty rap albums and even shittier movies in L.A., all while getting paid to push Pepsi and Burger King on kids

Jason Kidd beating his wife

Kobe Bryant raping a woman, or at the very least putting himself in a position to be accused of raping by being unfaithful to his wife

Charles Oakley punching Tyrone Hill right before a game over a gambling debt

Vince Carter giving up on the Raptors, and sulking his way out of Toronto - traded for Alonzo Mourning who refused to report to the Raptors

Steve Francis putting on his funeral-face after being drafted by the Grizzlies

Antonio Davis making ridiculous comments about his kids having to learn the metric system if they stay in Canada

McGrady's selfishness in leaving a good thing in Toronto

Latrell Sprewell choking his coach, and then later turning down 21 million over 3 years because "my kids gotta eat"

Damon Stoudemire refusing to sign an extension with the Raptors, despite being embraced by its fan base - traded for Kenny Anderson who then refused to report to the Raptors

Marbury refusing to re-sign in Minnesota

Tim Hardaway sharing his homophobic views


It's a league I stopped caring about more than a decade ago, and the players are the reason why

I'm sure you could make the same argument for MLB, NHL, and The NFL.

 

[Stylizer1]

Lmao KD might be a lot of things, but a loser? Are you not aware of his resume? The equivalent in the NHL would be McDavid if he'd already won 2 Cups, and 2 Conn Smythes in addition to what he's already done. The closest NHL equivalent in recent decades would be Crosby, but I think Durant's resume beats even him, in relative terms. He's a generational, all-time great. You may not like him, but those adjectives just don't fit lol.

Today's player is scared to do it on their own. They are scared of not being great. The amount of money they make off the court would be greatly impacted if they don't win. You should only be allowed to get a max contract if you won a championship. I wish they only allowed 1 player per team to get a max contract and the next guy can't be within 30% of that contract. Then you would see more talent spread around the league. The only way you should be able to circumvent the rule is if you draft the player. I want to see LeBron vs Kyrie, Durant vs Curry, Dončić vs Antetokounmpo. The League would be so much better.

 

[Garbageyuk]

Today's player is scared to do it on their own. They are scared of not being great. The amount of money they make off the court would be greatly impacted if they don't win. You should only be allowed to get a max contract if you won a championship. I wish they only allowed 1 player per team to get a max contract and the next guy can't be within 30% of that contract. Then you would see more talent spread around the league. The only way you should be able to circumvent the rule is if you draft the player. I want to see LeBron vs Kyrie, Durant vs Curry, Dončić vs Antetokounmpo. The League would be so much better.

Well, Warriors drafted all of their current stars except Wiggins. And they won both before and after Durant, so nobody should have any problem with them being over the cap because they pay the luxury tax and built the team from the ground up, minus Wiggins. They shouldn’t get punished for drafting well and building the team into a dynasty.

Giannis too, he won that title by himself, basically. That ring means a little more than most in this era.

I believe Doncic will win in Dallas, much like Giannis in Milwaukee.

The rest, yeah, f*** em. Especially LeBron.

 

[EpochLink]

Well, Warriors drafted all of their current stars except Wiggins. And they won both before and after Durant, so nobody should have any problem with them being over the cap because they pay the luxury tax and built the team from the ground up, minus Wiggins. They shouldn’t get punished for drafting well and building the team into a dynasty.

Giannis too, he won that title by himself, basically. That ring means a little more than most in this era.

I believe Doncic will win in Dallas, much like Giannis in Milwaukee.

The rest, yeah, f*** em. Especially LeBron.

Giannis will win another chip in Milwaukee, Doncic time will come in Dallas as well.
Trae Young in Atlanta will get that team to the Finals someday, they are riding the franchise on his back and he's exactly what they need in terms of a franchise superstar.

As for Golden State, Curry/Thompson/Green all future HOF. Jordan Poole is another one they drafted and developed to take over the reigns once the big 3 have retired/moved on. Kevon Looney is another piece they drafted as well, a much relied centre. Moody/Kuminga/Wiseman are the next men up.

 

[Stylizer1]

If I'm Toronto i give up either:

Siakam
Young
Boucher
Trent Jr.
1st 2023
2nd 2023

Or

Barnes
VanVleet
Young
Boucher
1st 2023
2nd 2024
1st 2024

For Durant, Harris

Making the money work was hard and not trying to give up too much. I think Masai doesn't really want to give up the guys from Africa because of how important they are to the projects he is working on there. At this point Siakam has a championship and he is a NBA starter so it wouldn't be devastating to trade him.

Now, There is a slight chance they trade for Durant and Kyrie which would be crazy Which would mean:

Siakam
Vanvleet
Trent Jr
Barnes
1st, 2nd 2023
1st 2nd 2024


but i would want Brooklyn to add harris.

edit: this is terrible for T.O.

 

[Stylizer1]

Giannis will win another chip in Milwaukee, Doncic time will come in Dallas as well.
Trae Young in Atlanta will get that team to the Finals someday, they are riding the franchise on his back and he's exactly what they need in terms of a franchise superstar.

As for Golden State, Curry/Thompson/Green all future HOF. Jordan Poole is another one they drafted and developed to take over the reigns once the big 3 have retired/moved on. Kevon Looney is another piece they drafted as well, a much relied centre. Moody/Kuminga/Wiseman are the next men up.

Thats how teams should be built. Thats why I respect that more than anything Lebron has done in his career. Lebron knew he was great from the start just didn't want to earn a chip through hard work. He was 25 when he left Cleveland and thought he deserved more at that age. Hand picking the rest of his career and going down as one of the only greats not to lead a franchise to a dynasty.

 

[EpochLink]

 

[MMC]

If I'm Toronto i give up either:

Siakam
Young
Boucher
Trent Jr.
1st 2023
2nd 2023

Or

Barnes
VanVleet
Young
Boucher
1st 2023
2nd 2024
1st 2024

For Durant, Harris

Making the money work was hard and not trying to give up too much. I think Masai doesn't really want to give up the guys from Africa because of how important they are to the projects he is working on there. At this point Siakam has a championship and he is a NBA starter so it wouldn't be devastating to trade him.

Now, There is a slight chance they trade for Durant and Kyrie which would be crazy Which would mean:

Siakam
Vanvleet
Trent Jr
Barnes
1st, 2nd 2023
1st 2nd 2024


but i would want Brooklyn to add harris.

edit: this is terrible for T.O.

Neither of these would do it, not nearly enough draft picks

 

[Stylizer1]

Neither of these would do it, not nearly enough draft picks

I thought about that too. The thing is Toronto is giving up quality starters/allstar calibre players so Bkln isnt going to be a bottom feeder. Plus Toronto's picks will be super high so it's not like are building for the future. Giving them 2 more 1sts I don't think really make a difference but I guess they can use them to move up in those drafts or acquire more players. either way Brooklyn is going to lose it's stars and they have to ask themselves if they are going to rebuild. Durant is not going to go to a bottom feeder where they can get back high picks Brooklyn needs bodies who are good enough to build around and getting Barnes is a potential top 10 player in a few seasons while Siakam is top 20 plus Trent is a quality player. Really they have to give up enough money/talent to make it work but not give up so much and need to fill holes. Porter is a good pick up. Getting Harris is something Toronto desperately needs.

The Siakam deal would be for now to make the playoffs. The Barnes deal would be to build for the future so you could add 1sts to sweeten the deal. As long as no 1sts are given once Durants contract expires.

 

[Garbageyuk]

Thats how teams should be built. Thats why I respect that more than anything Lebron has done in his career. Lebron knew he was great from the start just didn't want to earn a chip through hard work. He was 25 when he left Cleveland and thought he deserved more at that age. Hand picking the rest of his career and going down as one of the only greats not to lead a franchise to a dynasty.

Idk, I hate LeBron, but he’s an all-time great either way. Maybe he realized the management in CLE was never going to be able to build a championship team the way others do.

I mean, I kind of agree with that. If he stayed, maybe CLE never gets there. They did when he came back because he had all the leverage, and he had proven that he could lead a team to championship. They had new found assets and he basically forced them to trade them and go all in. He went for it for himself, it paid off, then he went back to CLE to fulfill his promise.

I can respect that now that it’s all said and done. That’s why they call him LeGM lol, and tbh, it looks like he was a better GM than the actual one in CLE in hindsight lmao.

He came back and delivered; Cavs fans cannot ask for more, especially when there was a dynastic monstrosity of a team in Golden State standing in the way and he managed to snatch one from them in epic fashion. How can you not respect that?

And I don’t say any of this lightly - I’m a diehard Warriors fan and that 2016 loss in the Finals will sting forever.

 

[Garbageyuk]

Lmao Golden State. It’s never going to happen. Been there, done that. I’ll always love KD for what he did for us, but I don’t ever want him to come back. That chapter has been written.

 

[Stylizer1]

Idk, I hate LeBron, but he’s an all-time great either way. Maybe he realized the management in CLE was never going to be able to build a championship team the way others do.

I mean, I kind of agree with that. If he stayed, maybe CLE never gets there. They did when he came back because he had all the leverage, and he had proven that he could lead a team to championship. They had new found assets and he basically forced them to trade them and go all in. He went for it for himself, it paid off, then he went back to CLE to fulfill his promise.

I can respect that now that it’s all said and done. That’s why they call him LeGM lol, and tbh, it looks like he was a better GM than the actual one in CLE in hindsight lmao.

He came back and delivered; Cavs fans cannot ask for more, especially when there was a dynastic monstrosity of a team in Golden State standing in the way and he managed to snatch one from them in epic fashion. How can you not respect that?

And I don’t say any of this lightly - I’m a diehard Warriors fan and that 2016 loss in the Finals will sting forever.

When you look at the Cavs draft record after Lebron was picked it looks really bad but there were literally no difference makers in those years. Lebron was spoiled with success too early making it to the finals in his 4th season. That hurt the Cavs chances of drafting a core to put around him. They had no assets to make any real trades either.

The Cavs were poorly run but LeGM didn't help and only made things worse trying to prematurely be great before he knew what it took. He only really knew what it took when he went back to Cleveland the 2nd time. In Miami he was riding a bike with training wheels.

 

[dahrougem2]

If I'm Toronto i give up either:

Siakam
Young
Boucher
Trent Jr.
1st 2023
2nd 2023

Or

Barnes
VanVleet
Young
Boucher
1st 2023
2nd 2024
1st 2024

For Durant, Harris

Making the money work was hard and not trying to give up too much. I think Masai doesn't really want to give up the guys from Africa because of how important they are to the projects he is working on there. At this point Siakam has a championship and he is a NBA starter so it wouldn't be devastating to trade him.

Now, There is a slight chance they trade for Durant and Kyrie which would be crazy Which would mean:

Siakam
Vanvleet
Trent Jr
Barnes
1st, 2nd 2023
1st 2nd 2024


but i would want Brooklyn to add harris.

edit: this is terrible for T.O.

You don't give up Scottie Barnes for Kevin Durant.

I know people like to point to numbers and everything with KD but come on folks: outside of the Warriors carrying his ass to 2 Championships (those "Finals MVPs" mean nothing because teams still schemed on how to stop Steph first) what has KD done?

The man is not leading the Raptors or any team he joins to an NBA title. It's not in his DNA. He can't be the lead dog. Why ya'll think he wants Miami or Phoenix? He wants to play behind Jimmy Butler or Chris Paul. He's soft as room temperature butter.

Raptors should stay far, far away from Kevin Durant. This is not Kawhi Leonard.

 

[Voight]

Today's player is scared to do it on their own. They are scared of not being great. The amount of money they make off the court would be greatly impacted if they don't win. You should only be allowed to get a max contract if you won a championship. I wish they only allowed 1 player per team to get a max contract and the next guy can't be within 30% of that contract. Then you would see more talent spread around the league. The only way you should be able to circumvent the rule is if you draft the player. I want to see LeBron vs Kyrie, Durant vs Curry, Dončić vs Antetokounmpo. The League would be so much better.

I think it was more to do with fans and the media being ring obsessed. Like you could have a great resume (as he did pre-GS) but if you don't have a ring ohhh boy you can't ever be one of the greats.

When you look at the Cavs draft record after Lebron was picked it looks really bad but there were literally no difference makers in those years. Lebron was spoiled with success too early making it to the finals in his 4th season. That hurt the Cavs chances of drafting a core to put around him. They had no assets to make any real trades either.

The Cavs were poorly run but LeGM didn't help and only made things worse trying to prematurely be great before he knew what it took. He only really knew what it took when he went back to Cleveland the 2nd time. In Miami he was riding a bike with training wheels.

& when he agreed to rejoin Cleveland, it came with the caveat of them acquiring a 3rd star to pair with him and Irving.

 

[Stylizer1]

You don't give up Scottie Barnes for Kevin Durant.

I know people like to point to numbers and everything with KD but come on folks: outside of the Warriors carrying his ass to 2 Championships (those "Finals MVPs" mean nothing because teams still schemed on how to stop Steph first) what has KD done?

The man is not leading the Raptors or any team he joins to an NBA title. It's not in his DNA. He can't be the lead dog. Why ya'll think he wants Miami or Phoenix? He wants to play behind Jimmy Butler or Chris Paul. He's soft as room temperature butter.

Raptors should stay far, far away from Kevin Durant. This is not Kawhi Leonard.

KD led a team to the finals and Lost. In order to win a Championship he joined 2 other superstars and won 2.

Lebron led a team to the finals and Lost. In order to win a Championship he joined 2 other superstars and won 2.

If you are trading Barnes it's because you want to win a Championship in the next 4 season you have Durant under contract.

Durant in OKC was so much better than Lebron in Cleveland his first go around. Durant was a monster for OKKC but they couldn't win. Westbrook, Harden, and Durant were in their 3-4 years in the league and lost to a veteran Heat team. Durant was never the problem.

 

[dahrougem2]

KD led a team to the finals and Lost. In order to win a Championship he joined 2 other superstars and won 2.

Lebron led a team to the finals and Lost. In order to win a Championship he joined 2 other superstars and won 2.

If you are trading Barnes it's because you want to win a Championship in the next 4 season you have Durant under contract.

Durant in OKC was so much better than Lebron in Cleveland his first go around. Durant was a monster for OKKC but they couldn't win. Westbrook, Harden, and Durant were in their 3-4 years in the league and lost to a veteran Heat team. Durant was never the problem.

Durant in OKC better than LeBron in Cleveland? Remind me again when Durant took a team as bad as the 07 Cavs to the NBA Finals? LeBron routinely was on his own on those Cavs teams trying to fight his way to the Finals.

That's the difference to me. I don't like what LeBron did going to Miami (and have hated his moves to Cleveland/LA since) but it was understandable from the point of view that the Cavs simply couldn't build a team.

KD had the team for years with Westbrook/Harden/Ibaka and it still wasn't enough.

One of these guys lost to a 73 win team and then decided to join them. The other beat them in the Finals.

KD is not the guy people think he is.

 

[Stylizer1]

I think it was more to do with fans and the media being ring obsessed. Like you could have a great resume (as he did pre-GS) but if you don't have a ring ohhh boy you can't ever be one of the greats.



& when he agreed to rejoin Cleveland, it came with the caveat of them acquiring a 3rd star to pair with him and Irving.

Players like Lebron "the Chosen one" James are ring obsessed. He wants to be better than Michael Jordan. All superstars are ring obsessed until they get one but in order to be compared to the greats you need to get more. Lebron equates getting more (no matter how) as comparable to past greats even though the others gambled way harder on sticking primarily with one team to do it. Fans don't even consider Lebron a Lakers great and I don't think they will ever. Kobe, Magic, Shaq, even Kareem are ahead of him.

 

[Stylizer1]

Durant in OKC better than LeBron in Cleveland? Remind me again when Durant took a team as bad as the 07 Cavs to the NBA Finals? LeBron routinely was on his own on those Cavs teams trying to fight his way to the Finals.

That's the difference to me. I don't like what LeBron did going to Miami (and have hated his moves to Cleveland/LA since) but it was understandable from the point of view that the Cavs simply couldn't build a team.

KD had the team for years with Westbrook/Harden/Ibaka and it still wasn't enough.

One of these guys lost to a 73 win team and then decided to join them. The other beat them in the Finals.

KD is not the guy people think he is.

KD can't do anymore than he is doing. OKC was a young team with a lot of talent but lost to veteran teams.

The year Lebron led them to the finals they beat average teams as the East was not very good. They Swept Washington because they sucked. They beat NJ who had a .500 record, and then beat Detroit who's 2 best players in the playoffs each averaged 18 points. They got destroyed by a championship calibre team.

Toronto has the depth to surround KD with support. If they can get Harris too it would ad another element they could use an upgrade on. Porter and Harris shooting 3's would be deadly.

 

[Blitzkrug]

I'm of the mindset Toronto doesn't give up Scottie Barnes for Durant just because Toronto isn't that close to competing to justify it.

If the Suns gut their future for him? Sure, makes sense. The Suns were the best team in the NBA last year and adding Durant would probably make them overwhelming favorites. Same story for Miami. Came within a nose hair of going to the finals.

The Raptors finished 5th and are clearly taking to longer road to become a contender. By trading Barnes, because of the salary difference you'd also have to dump another big contract like Siakam or VanVleet. Does removing one of those guys + Barnes for Durant really make them better than the Bucks? Celtics? Heat? Sixers even? i don't think it does.

 

[dahrougem2]

KD can't do anymore than he is doing. OKC was a young team with a lot of talent but lost to veteran teams.

The year Lebron led them to the finals they beat average teams as the East was not very good. They Swept Washington because they sucked. They beat NJ who had a .500 record, and then beat Detroit who's 2 best players in the playoffs each averaged 18 points. They got destroyed by a championship calibre team.

Toronto has the depth to surround KD with support. If they can get Harris too it would ad another element they could use an upgrade on. Porter and Harris shooting 3's would be deadly.

All I see here is an excuse for KD and discrediting LeBron.

KD can't lead a team to a championship without joining the greatest team of all time. That much is fact.

 

[Stylizer1]

I'm of the mindset Toronto doesn't give up Scottie Barnes for Durant just because Toronto isn't that close to competing to justify it.

If the Suns gut their future for him? Sure, makes sense. The Suns were the best team in the NBA last year and adding Durant would probably make them overwhelming favorites. Same story for Miami. Came within a nose hair of going to the finals.

The Raptors finished 5th and are clearly taking to longer road to become a contender. By trading Barnes, because of the salary difference you'd also have to dump another big contract like Siakam or VanVleet. Does removing one of those guys + Barnes for Durant really make them better than the Bucks? Celtics? Heat? Sixers even? i don't think it does.

I don't believe the 76's or Heat are that good and Toronto could easily take them out with Durant. Getting close to the finals doesn't mean that automatically makes you 2nd best. It always comes down to match ups. Toronto is missing a superstar. Siakam is not one.

The position Toronto is in is not a good one. They will finish high enough not to get a good pick that is a difference maker. By missing the playoffs they got Barns and unless he turns out to be a superstar they will only get so much better from within. Same thing happened when we had DeRozan. We couldn't get good enough to beat the top teams inn the playoffs, not even a slight chance. That changed with Kawhi. Siakam, VanVleet are in their prime and they are not getting better. Waiting 2-3 years for players to round out and get the experience will leave us in a bad position when trying to resign players. The Raptors have so much depth right now and are trying to assemble the tallest team with the largest wingspan. Getting Durant fits so perfectly into that strategy.

Durant makes this team a contender more so than Barnes and Siakam combined.

All I see here is an excuse for KD and discrediting LeBron.

KD can't lead a team to a championship without joining the greatest team of all time. That much is fact.

That's what it is.

 

[EpochLink]

KD to the Suns is almost complete

 

[EpochLink]

 

[BB88]

These prices man

 

[EpochLink]

These prices man

The price of brick is going up