Are the Dallas Mavericks on the verge of making another blockbuster trade?
Days after trading global superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas is reportedly going after Kevin Durant, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
“League sources say the Dallas Mavericks, fresh off their Luka Dončić-for-Anthony Davis swap … have dreams of adding Durant to their Davis-Kyrie Irving-led group,” Amick wrote.
“The mere idea of Durant joining Dallas’ star-studded group sheds new light on the thinking of Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison after he was roundly ridiculed for the Dončić deal.”
“Whether it’s Durant (now or later), or perhaps even the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James in the summer if he were to decline his player option for next season, the 52-year-old Harrison appears to be targeting big-time stars with whom he’s very familiar from his past life as a top Nike executive.”
“With Durant’s deal expiring in the summer of 2026, and the Suns continuing to fall well short of the title contention they’d envisioned when they traded for him in February 2023, rival teams have been monitoring his situation, and the possibility of his availability, for quite some time. And not surprisingly, given Durant’s status as one of the all-time greats, there is no shortage of competition.”
Amick reported that the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are also aggressively pursuing Durant.
Durant, 36, is still playing at a superstar level. KD is averaging 26.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game this season on 52.4 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from three. Both of those shooting percentages this season are higher than Durant’s career percentages, suggesting that KD as a shooter is aging like fine wine.
Between Houston, Golden State, and Dallas, what would be the best landing spot for Durant, presuming his goal is to win another NBA championship?
The Rockets have the best record by far of the three teams right now, so there’s an argument there, but it’s difficult to ignore the explosive potential of KD joining Irving and AD on the Mavericks.
The Warriors would have to sacrifice most if not all of their non-Curry talent to acquire Durant, so that wouldn’t be a winning destination.
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