Kevin Durant Rumors

[Lipoli390]

Why do we value Dillingham so lowly? He's 20 years old and barely got any run. We traded to get him. We need to develop a pg. Does everyone here think he is a bust? It's crazy to me those that are so easily willing just to toss in Rob. I'd give Randle Donte 31 and Minott and that's it. Otherwise just walk away. Sometimes the best deal is the one you don't do. Trading Rob this young without giving him a chance to develop would be a mistake. I'm not sold on Rob reaching his potential but I'm not moving him for an old grouchy 37 yr old wanting a big contract.

I agree, Crazy!

[FNG]

Why do we value Dillingham so lowly? He's 20 years old and barely got any run. We traded to get him. We need to develop a pg. Does everyone here think he is a bust? It's crazy to me those that are so easily willing just to toss in Rob. I'd give Randle Donte 31 and Minott and that's it. Otherwise just walk away. Sometimes the best deal is the one you don't do. Trading Rob this young without giving him a chance to develop would be a mistake. I'm not sold on Rob reaching his potential but I'm not moving him for an old grouchy 37 yr old wanting a big contract.

I agree, Crazy!

I'll call Lip's bet, and add this raise: Rob will eventually be better than Fox.

[Phenom]

Why do we value Dillingham so lowly? He's 20 years old and barely got any run. We traded to get him. We need to develop a pg. Does everyone here think he is a bust? It's crazy to me those that are so easily willing just to toss in Rob. I'd give Randle Donte 31 and Minott and that's it. Otherwise just walk away. Sometimes the best deal is the one you don't do. Trading Rob this young without giving him a chance to develop would be a mistake. I'm not sold on Rob reaching his potential but I'm not moving him for an old grouchy 37 yr old wanting a big contract.

Its less about what I think of him and more of a realization that his inclusion is likely what is required of the deal. And maybe if the Wolves are open to move him, it means something. To be clear, I'm leaning against a KD deal but know that if a deal gets done, he is probably in it.

[Monster]

Why do we value Dillingham so lowly? He's 20 years old and barely got any run. We traded to get him. We need to develop a pg. Does everyone here think he is a bust? It's crazy to me those that are so easily willing just to toss in Rob. I'd give Randle Donte 31 and Minott and that's it. Otherwise just walk away. Sometimes the best deal is the one you don't do. Trading Rob this young without giving him a chance to develop would be a mistake. I'm not sold on Rob reaching his potential but I'm not moving him for an old grouchy 37 yr old wanting a big contract.

I agree, Crazy!

I'll call Lip's bet, and add this raise: Rob will eventually be better than Fox.

To be clear I don't really want to move Dillingham. I honestly didn't see him play as much as some of the rest of you as I think I probably missed a few of his games where he actually played. I think the Wolves had a lot of depth and so that was a big reason he didn't play and he got hurt. His numbers aren't awesome but they were far from terrible. It would be interesting to hear how Rockets fans feel about their young PG in comparison. I'm definitely not giving up on Dillingham and I was one of the guys that was for sure higher on his floor than some people here when he was drafted etc.

If I was looking to make a deal yeah probably my top offer would look like what Sauce suggested but I would be willing to through in Miller instead of Minott if that's what it took I guess.

I'm getting more sucked into being concerned about this trade that is less than 50% chance of happening but I kinda think about this deal in some of the same way I did about the Randle Towns trade. Is Towns better than Randle? Sure. Was he Donte and a possible first round pick and around 20 million more in salary better? No. Now I think Durant is a more impactful player than Towns and so he is a level up from Randle but again is he over 20 million more in salary than Randle and Donte plus a young player and reasonably valuable draft pick? I don't think so. I can see someone thinking so but I don't. Now that changes if Randle is gonna opt out or to keep him you gonna pay him more than his current contract for 4 more years or something I'm not really up for.

To me whether Durant comes here or not the big question that will still need to be answered is what happens with Naz. If the Wolves lose him despite his flaws that's gonna be a big deal especially if they get nothing in return meaning no sign and trade etc.

[TheFuture]

Why do we value Dillingham so lowly? He's 20 years old and barely got any run. We traded to get him. We need to develop a pg. Does everyone here think he is a bust? It's crazy to me those that are so easily willing just to toss in Rob. I'd give Randle Donte 31 and Minott and that's it. Otherwise just walk away. Sometimes the best deal is the one you don't do. Trading Rob this young without giving him a chance to develop would be a mistake. I'm not sold on Rob reaching his potential but I'm not moving him for an old grouchy 37 yr old wanting a big contract.

I agree, Crazy!

I'll call Lip's bet, and add this raise: Rob will eventually be better than Fox.

I don't want to trade him, but I don't think he will reach Fox level or beyond. I'd say his promise is 80% of Fox. Which would still be worth it.

[Monster]

I agree, Crazy!

I'll call Lip's bet, and add this raise: Rob will eventually be better than Fox.

I don't want to trade him, but I don't think he will reach Fox level or beyond. I'd say his promise is 80% of Fox. Which would still be worth it.

He should be a better 3 point shooter than Fox.

Edit: He was also overall way more efficient his 1 year at UK than Fox was. I was a big fan of Fox in that draft (thought he was better than Lonzo) and I remember thinking Fox being a guy I thought might be an asset on D not a liability which is a big deal. Not sure where he falls on defense at this point.

[Lipoli390]

I'll call Lip's bet, and add this raise: Rob will eventually be better than Fox.

I don't want to trade him, but I don't think he will reach Fox level or beyond. I'd say his promise is 80% of Fox. Which would still be worth it.

He should be a better 3 point shooter than Fox.

Edit: He was also overall way more efficient his 1 year at UK than Fox was. I was a big fan of Fox in that draft (thought he was better than Lonzo) and I remember thinking Fox being a guy I thought might be an asset on D not a liability which is a big deal. Not sure where he falls on defense at this point.

I also liked him a lot coming out of college but you’re right about his shooting efficiency at Kentucky compared to Rob’s. As for Fox’s defense as an NBA player, here’s what AI had to say:

AI Overview

De'Aaron Fox's defensive impact has seen improvement in recent seasons, though his primary role remains as a dynamic offensive player. While his defensive rating has fluctuated, with a notable improvement in 2023-24 to 113.9, his overall defensive statistics, like steals (1.5) and blocks (0.4) per game, are decent but not exceptional. His defensive rebounding (3.9 RPG) is more impactful, and he shows a high defensive rebound percentage. His defensive role is primarily as an on-ball guard, and he demonstrates improved versatility in adapting to different defensive schemes, according to a YouTube video analysis.

[FNG]

I don't understand any discussion of giving up assets, including Rob, to get a PG like Fox. Both played 1 year against top level competition at Kentucky, and here were their per 40 stats:

Rob: 26.1/5/6.6

Fox: 22.6/5.4/6.2

Quite close in rebounds and assists, although Rob was the more dynamic scorer. But the real difference was in 3-point shooting, where Rob made 44.4% of his treys while Fox only 24.6! As a result, not only was Rob a more proficient scorer, but also a more efficient one: 59.5 TS% compared to 54.9%. Unlike Rob, Fox was instantly given a starting role with the Kings because he had joined a woeful team that went 32-50 the previous season. Fox's efficiency is better in the pros than it was in college, and that is to be expected...he was the focus of the defense when he was at Kentucky, while in the pros there are many other scorers defenses have to focus on. I expect the same from Rob, as he won't get nearly the same amount of defensive attention playing next to Ant as he did in college. Just imagine how efficiently he might be scoring in the pros given more open looks!

[60WinTim]

Tick, tick, tick...

Another day with no movement on KD is another day the Wolves are closer to getting him!

If we get past the draft, KD will be forced to reconsider the Wolves, including an extension. I've run some numbers, and the Wolves can make the salaries work for a few years.

[Lipoli390]

I don't understand any discussion of giving up assets, including Rob, to get a PG like Fox. Both played 1 year against top level competition at Kentucky, and here were their per 40 stats:

Rob: 26.1/5/6.6

Fox: 22.6/5.4/6.2

Quite close in rebounds and assists, although Rob was the more dynamic scorer. But the real difference was in 3-point shooting, where Rob made 44.4% of his treys while Fox only 24.6! As a result, not only was Rob a more proficient scorer, but also a more efficient one: 59.5 TS% compared to 54.9%. Unlike Rob, Fox was instantly given a starting role with the Kings because he had joined a woeful team that went 32-50 the previous season. Fox's efficiency is better in the pros than it was in college, and that is to be expected...he was the focus of the defense when he was at Kentucky, while in the pros there are many other scorers defenses have to focus on. I expect the same from Rob, as he won't get nearly the same amount of defensive attention playing next to Ant as he did in college. Just imagine how efficiently he might be scoring in the pros given more open looks!

I agree, FNG. But I’m even more aghast at the notion of including Dilly in a package for the 37 year old Durant who doesn’t fill a position of need, has trouble staying on the court and subtracts from the team’s speed and athleticism in a League where the two finalists are extremely fast, young athletic teams.