Toronto Raptors, Who Showed Interest in Kevin Durant, Refuse to Part Ways With 20-Year-Old for the Nets Star

Kevin Durant has been the talk of the town for a while now. He has expressed his interest in joining Devin Booker and Chris Paul at the Phoenix Suns. He has also reportedly listed the Miami Heat as a potential destination. Now, Kevin Durant has an ongoing contract with the Brooklyn Nets till the 2025-26 season. He signed a $195 million extension with the Nets back in 2021.

It appears that the superstar has had a change of heart. It could be anything between poor coaching from Steve Nash, James Harden’s departure, or Kyrie Irving’s stand on not getting the vaccine and not being able to play home games that drove KD to want to leave. He is currently knocking at the door of several NBA teams that would probably give up significant assets to add him to their rosters.

One of those teams until recently was the Toronto Raptors. In a recent polling, the Raptors came out on top as the team with the best odds of signing KD. But the Kevin Durant rumors did not just stop there. It appears that teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors are emerging as dark horses for the player.

In a trade that would send several assets and the reigning Rookie of The Year winner Scottie Barnes to Brooklyn, Durant may have found a home in Canada. Toronto however, was not ready to part away with Scottie Barnes just yet.

Toronto to become Kevin Durant’s next chapter

It is unclear why the Toronto Raptors are not ready to give up assets to sign Kevin Durant. Durant is familiar with playing in Toronto and has even lost an NBA Finals in the Scotiabank Arena. He tore his Achilles in Game 5 of the 2019 Finals. It is maybe strange for fans to think that Durant would be willing to play for a team that defeated him in the playoffs.

According to ESPN analyst Adrian Wojnarowski, Toronto is the best team to trade with for the Brooklyn Nets.

Wojnarowski said,?“The Toronto Raptors, that’s the team that I think can do the most seamless trade for Brooklyn. They can do a one-on-one trade with the Raptors.”?

He also said,?“The assets are there. The ability, quality enough players, draft picks, and contracts that match up. I think ultimately that’s the least complicated deal and I think people should keep watching as the Raptors stay involved in these conversations.”

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Durant could likely not find himself leaving for Toronto as reports suggest, as a deal without Scottie Barnes?would likely be unacceptable for the Nets.

Where will Kevin Durant go?

It is possible that with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant leaving, the Nets would enter a rebuild. They will look to get the most amount of assets from these two trades. If the Nets trade Irving and Durant, they would probably look to get possibly two to three All-Stars and multiple first-round picks in return.

Irving recently opted into his $36.5 million contract as there were no suitable options available to him. However, it appears that a Lakers and LeBron James reunion is on the cards. Staying on with the Nets is also a possibility as both players are still under contract.

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Will Durant get traded and if yes, where? Only time and someone like Wojnarowski can tell. Let us know in the comments if you think KD will wear a Raptors jersey next season.