Toronto Raptors should not enter the Kevin Durant sweepstakes

Despite arguments being made for why the Toronto Raptors should attempt to trade for Kevin Durant, they are better off staying out of the running.

Ever since Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, basketball media and fans alike have gone into overdrive. Arguments and justifications are being made for why any number of NBA teams should make a move for the superstar, including the Toronto Raptors.

Early speculation suggests the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat are the preferred destinations for Durant. However, this hasn’t stopped attempts to connect him with a potential move to Southern Ontario.

As per Aaron Rose of Sports Illustrated‘s Fan Nation, the Raptors are among the bookies favourites to land Durant. They are seen as the fifth-best bet, behind the Suns, Heat, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies.

In terms of the media, the Raptors may not traditionally be seen as a trendy pick per se, but there are still plenty of NBA analysts and reporters making a case for them. This includes ESPN‘s Zach Lowe and his colleague Adrian Wojnarowski, who perceives Toronto as a lurking possibility.

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Certainly, there is no denying the Raptors have the pieces in place to be serious contenders for Durant. However, as much as the Nets will want to get the best possible return package, the 12-time All-Star will — rightly or wrongly — have a major say in where he ends up.

In this respect, former Sportsnet personality Sid Seixeiro took to Twitter, to share video clips of Durant saying wonderful things about Toronto Raptors players and the city. In addition, social media is sharing photos of the two-time NBA champion wearing a Blue Jays jersey when he attended a baseball game in Toronto, as well as a hip hop and r&b music festival.

Interestingly, the festival was where rapper Drake made comments which were perceived as an attempt to recruit Durant to join the Raptors. Due to the rapper’s position as global ambassador to the team, Toronto was fined $25,000 by the NBA for a violation of the league’s anti-tampering rules.

Durant’s comments on The Dan Patrick Show back in 2013 have also been used as evidence to support him ending up in Southern Ontario. As per Sportsnet‘s Mike Johnston, the 2007 second overall draft pick said at the time that while he was growing up, he wanted to play for the Toronto Raptors.

However, the reality is none of this actually means Durant himself views Toronto as one of his preferred destinations. Saying nice things about a city, wearing a local sports jersey and wanting to play for a team when you’re a kid does not matter in the grand scheme of things.

Returning to the Raptors having the necessary pieces to make a trade feasible, there has been some comparison to when they made a deal with the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard. While Leonard only played one season in Toronto, the gamble ultimately paid off with the first NBA championship in franchise history.

This time around though, the Raptors seem determined to patiently and meticulously build a roster which will make them a regular and genuine contender for years to come. Trading for Durant would compromise this approach.

While Durant is a pure scorer and one of the top four or five players in the league today, he can still be perceived as unreliable. He is injury prone, questionable at times on defence and not get any younger. (He will be 34 when the 2022-23 regular season begins.)

Keeping with the unreliable theme, even if the Raptors did land Durant, how long would he stick around in Toronto? The Nets gave him everything he wanted and yet here he is, now demanding a trade just one year after agreeing a max deal extension which hasn’t even started yet.

Along these lines, even though trading for Durant would make the Raptors instant and legitimate contenders for a championship, you have to consider the long-term implications. Who would Toronto have to give up and how would this impact them down the road?

Given Durant’s four-year, $198 million contract, one player who would have to immediately be considered is Pascal Siakam. The 2020 All-Star is set to earn just under $34.45 million next season and just over $37.89 million in 2023-24, before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Money aside, while no one is going to guarantee Siakam will reach the same heights as Durant, his potential and upside are fascinating. If he can add some strength and become more consistent, there is no telling what he can achieve.

Fred VanVleet is another viable option, especially after going from an undrafted free agent to earning his first All-Star nod this past season. However, with him in line to earn $21.25 million and just over $22.82 million respectively these next two seasons*, another piece would be needed.

This is important to mention, because it lines up with the one player the majority of the NBA media are saying has to be included in any deal for Durant. More specifically, Scottie Barnes.

Barnes was a five-star recruit coming out of college and the Raptors selected him fourth overall in the 2021 draft. Everything he did and showed during his rookie season, has the organization convinced he is on the road to becoming a potential superstar.

Considering this (even though it is no guarantee), why would you want to trade away a 20-year-old prospect for a player approaching his mid-30s? In addition, Barnes is under contract for the next three seasons at an extremely team-friendly price.

Another approach for the Raptors in any trade scenario, is to include an undetermined number of first round draft picks. However, this brings to mind Durant’s former teammate James Harden, who is arguably even more unreliable.

Consider that Brooklyn had to give up three unprotected first round picks to Houston, who were also given the rights to swap first round picks in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027. Subsequently though, Harden lasted barely half a season with the Nets.

Of course, hindsight is a convenient thing when presenting an opinion. If we’re being objective, you can appreciate why the Nets took a gamble and brought in Harden in the first place, along with Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Ultimately though, Masai Ujiri, Bobby Webster and company have worked too hard and been extremely patient in building the roster it now has. This is not the time to blow it up and destroy all that effort, just to trade for an aging superstar who may decide in one or two years that he wants to move on.

* It should be noted that reports indicate the Toronto Raptors are currently in talks with VanVleet about a contract extension

What would you like the Toronto Raptors to do in respect of Durant? Do you want them to attempt to trade for him or not, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.