I'm not entirely all in on Durant here. But let's go through Lip's concerns:Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 01, 2025 10:30 am I would not trade any of our assets for Kevin Durant. I think it’s ridiculous to think that adding a 37 year old Kevin Durant will get this team over the hump from being easily dispatched in the Conference Finals two years in a row to winning a title. Without getting into too much detail, lets look at Durant from four angle:
First, can Durant be counted on to play? The answer is no. Durant has a history of missing a lot of games. He played 70 or more games in only two of the last 9 seasons. He played 62 games last season, 47 in 2022-23 and 55 in 2021-22. Turning 37 this off season further increases the odds he’ll miss a lot of games. Missing a lot of games not only leaves you without whatever value he brings to the court for much of the season, it also disrupts your team’s continuity.
Second, how much can Durant be counted on to help this team win when on the court and would his presence in the games he plays get us over the hump into the NBA finals? I think the answers are pretty obvious. How much would he help us win? Not much. Would he get us over the hump? No. So even if he plays 70+ games, which is highly doubtful, I don’t see Durant moving the needle for us. Why do I say that? First, look at how his recent teams have performed? The Suns won only 39 games with Durant playing alongside allstar Devin Booker. The season before, the Suns won only 49 games and were knocked out by the Wolves in the 1st round. The previous season, Durant arrived in Phoenix in time for the playoffs and the Suns were ousted in the semifinals. In each of his two full seasons in Brooklyn, the Nets won 48 and 44 games respectively, never making the Conference Finals. And back then Durant was in his early 30s and had not yet torn his Achilles.
Third, Durant would make us worse in areas we faltered this past season. We declined defensively and Durant would clearly make us worse defensively. We were often too slow and lacked ball movement offensively and Durant makes us marginally worse in those areas as well.
Fourth, Durant’s presence (assuming he plays a significant number of games) stifles the development of our young talent like TSJ and Clark while also impeding the expansion of Jaden’s role offensively, which I consider key to the growth of this team over the next few years.
Bottom line is that I can think of very few things as dumb as trading ANYTHING for Kevin Durant this offseason. Instead of giving up assets for a 37 year old Durant, we should be focusing on other options and the need to figure out how we deal with the declining 37 year old Mike Conley.
1) Durant missed 20 games this season. But he played 75 games last season. (He's played more games than Randle over the past two seasons.) As Lip pointed out, he missed A LOT of games those first couple of years after the achilles tear... which happened when he was with GSW by the way. But that sort of plays against his (4th) point. Multiple players would go out in the trade, which would open up more spots in the rotation. Plus, an older Durant will inevitably miss a few games, which would give more opportunities for the younger players. And I also don't know why Durant would impede McDaniels' possible ascension more than Randle would. In fact, I like the idea of McDaniels learning from Durant since there are obvious physical similarities.
2) I disagree that Durant wouldn't help the Wolves win. What if the Wolves were getting this guy...
27 ppg
6 reb
5 ast
52% / 42% / 84% shooting splits.
That would be one of the greatest offensive seasons in Timberwolves history.
Oh. Wait. That's Durant over the past two seasons. The man is one of the most efficient bucket getters... ever.
The Nets were 93 - 44 with Durant (yes, they won only 48 games in year 1, but it was a shortened season... even though Durant was still recovering from the achilles and missed a lot of games).
They lost in OT in Game 7 to the eventual champs (Bucks)... after an official review determined Durant's toe grazed the three-point line on a potential series-winning shot. It was not just making it to the 2nd round. Consider...
35.4 ppg
10.6 reb
5.4 ast
1.6 blk
1.1 stl
Those are Durant's numbers for that series... which would easily be the greatest statistical series in Wolves playoff history. Now... consider this...
Joe Harris played the 2nd most minutes in that series and the sharpshooter shot 34.7%. Blake Griffin played the 3rd most. Heck, Mike James... a journeyman 30-year old vet who played 49 games in his entire NBA career averaged 15+ mpg in that series. And yet, Kevin Durant's toe was the only reason the Nets didn't advance. He CARRIED that team.
The next year they went 44 - 38... but 36 - 19 with Durant. Remember, Kyrie only played 29 games that season and Harden was traded. Here are who played more games than Durant... Patty Mills (81), Bruce Brown (72), James Johnson (67), rookie Cam Thomas (62) and the ghost of Blake Griffin (56). The Nets played an incredible 24 different players that season. And still made the playoffs in large part because of how good they were with Durant on the court.
Last year, the Suns were 33 -29 with Durant... and 3 - 17 without him.
3) As for defense, Phoenix was terrible last season but decent the season before (#13). Interestingly, however, some Phoenix fans (and his head coach) were upset when Durant didn't make the All Defensive team in 2024. He was 7th in the league in FG Diff % that year among forwards, meaning opposing players shot significantly worse against him than their average. He guarded the opposing teams' best players at times... and played some small ball 5. His length is his secret weapon, obviously and may help stave off Father Time a bit longer.
As for ball movement and pace... the Wolves have been 24th each of the past two seasons... two of the most successful seasons in franchise history. If Gobert is still here, I don't really seeing that change much regardless of who else is here. As for ball movement, I don't see Durant stifling the offense. He can pass and willingly move the ball and can also add a complementary efficient mid-range game.
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Kevin Durant is not a perfect player. He wouldn't be available otherwise. But he's damn good. Still. Even if he starts to regress... Would he only average 23 ppg with great efficiency? That's still awesome! The obvious question is what's it going to cost? Because that contract is huge for next season.
Could an under-the-table deal be reached where he gets his wish to come to Minnesota... and resigns for A LOT less next offseason? Is that worth the risk for the Wolves?
I'd have to see what assets are given up... but I do know Kevin Durant is still one helluva good basketball player.
