CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from the June 30 episode of The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.
Shockwaves were sent through the sports world on Thursday when Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant requested a trade following three mostly unsuccessful years on the team. This, of course, led to every fan base across the NBA trying to dream up what a package for Durant would look like.
As stars do, Durant is reportedly attempting to steer his services toward either the Miami Heat or Phoenix Suns, with the Suns being the more likely of the two to be able to land him in a trade. While that may be the most likely thing for Durant, it doesn’t mean Cavs fans can’t dream about what landing the 2014 MVP might look like for the Wine and Gold, and what it would take to trade for him.
The Cavaliers do have the assets to actually get this trade done, but it’s very unlikely that they would be willing to part with second-year big man Evan Mobley. Everyone else should be on the table, though. There aren’t many players in the league that teams should be unwilling to deal for Durant, but Mobley is one of them.
The first ask from the Nets would then shift to All-Star guard Darius Garland. For this to happen, the Cavaliers cannot agree to a contract extension with Garland at this moment. The deal would also be contingent on sending guard Collin Sexton to Brooklyn as part of a sign-and-trade package.
The first trade possibility to place Durant in Cleveland centers around both Garland and Sexton. In this instance, Sexton agrees to a three-year, $64.4 million sign-and-trade deal with the Nets before being dealt. The Cavaliers would add in Garland as the centerpiece of the deal, and the Nets would be able to extend him to a long-term contract next summer. The Cavaliers would also add in Isaac Okoro as another young player worth taking a flier on.
Lastly, from a player standpoint, Cedi Osman would be in the deal in order to help make the salary math work. In addition, the Cavaliers would add a pair of unprotected first-round draft picks, coming in 2025 and 2027. The Cavaliers not only would then acquire Durant, but also guard Seth Curry.
The second possible trade for Durant involves more draft compensation but removes Garland in favor of All-Star center Jarrett Allen, whom the Cavaliers acquired from the Nets in a trade back in 2021.
The deal still involves Sexton and Okoro, but the draft compensation is upped to include a third unprotected first-round draft pick coming in 2029 and an unprotected pick swap in 2028. The thinking for Brooklyn is that with Durant being 33-years-old, the Nets would control Cleveland’s drafts after the end of Durant’s current four-year contract and potentially his career.
In all likelihood, these trades aren’t going to happen. Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman should call the Nets, but it’s hard to imagine the Nets accepting a trade with the Cavaliers that doesn’t involved Mobley, and for Altman, that should be a non-starter.