Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN revealed a shocking news: it appears that the Golden State Warriors made a “unsuccessful bid” to sign superstar LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and team him with Stephen Curry. Rob Pelinka, general manager of the Lakers, allegedly shot down the Philadelphia 76ers’ attempt to sign James right away. 76ers general manager Daryl Morey, though, didn’t stop with James. It is said that the 76ers also asked the Phoenix Suns if Kevin Durant was available. Naturally, Morey was also turned away by the Suns, who are still very much in the running for the championship.
It’s hard not to respect Morey for at least trying, though they were feeble attempts, especially the Durant one, at trying to improve the 76ers’ chances of winning an NBA championship. Philadelphia is still looking to remain afloat in a tight Eastern Conference with Joel Embiid out indefinitely due to a torn meniscus. In the end, the 76ers traded for Indiana Pacers for sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who has scored at least 20 points in each of his four games with Philadelphia so far.
Nonetheless, we love to play hypotheticals. So, what if the Suns, for some bizarre reason, actually miraculously made Kevin Durant available via trade? What if general manager James Jones actually gave a chance to Daryl Morey to discuss a potential deal for the two-time NBA champion? What would the Philadelphia 76ers best trade offer be to acquire Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns right before the deadline?
Best 76ers trade offer to the Suns for Kevin Durant
The 76ers will undoubtedly want to keep Tyrese Maxey off the table in any trade for Kevin Durant. But given that Durant is still under contract for the next three seasons, the Suns have leverage in trade discussions for the 14-time All-Star and they could have easily pulled out of trade talks. With that, Philadelphia has no choice but to include Maxey if they really wanted to pair Durant alongside Joel Embiid. Here is what a Durant-to-76ers trade would look like.
Losing Maxey would be gut wrenching, but they also lose Tobias Harris in the process so that the 76ers could match Kevin Durant’s $46.7 million price tage this season. They also give up a valuable 1st round pick from the Los Angeles Clippers in 2028.
Nonetheless, there is solace in thinking that a Durant-Embiid pairing could be the best one-two punch in the Eastern Conference. Those two could be the most feared scoring duo.
Durant’s versatility and adaptability would make him a perfect fit alongside the 2022-23 NBA MVP. Durant is someone who doesn’t necessarily need the ball in his hands to be productive. Likewise, he would benefit a lot with defenses constantly sending double-teams towards Embiid.
How the 76ers trade deadline would have looked like if they landed Durant
Landing Durant would have also changed Philadelphia’s direction at the deadline. By losing Maxey, perhaps they could have pursued a point guard to fill in his role. The 76ers could have targeted someone like Malcolm Brogdon from the Portland Trail Blazers, or Tyus Jones from the Washington Wizards. Likewise, they still could have found a way to land Buddy Hield from the Pacers.
Philadelphia could’ve still pursued Kyle Lowry from the buyout market and could be a prime destination for more buyout candidates with Durant and Embiid in the fold.
So with this hypothetical (assuming they go after Jones, who is a cheaper option), the 76ers could trot out a starting five of Durant, Embiid, Jones at the point, then Hield and Kelly Oubre Jr. on the wings. Off the bench, they would have Lowry, De’Anthony Melton, Nicolas Batum, Paul Reed, and Cam Payne, who they received in the Bucks trade for Patrick Beverley.
Going in this direction would be a complete re-tool around Embiid and there would still be chemistry issues to hash out initially. But Embiid and Durant’s presence alone makes the 76ers a bonafide championship contender, even if they lost two key pieces in Maxey and Harris in the process.
76ers offseason situation
Durant’s $49.8 million salary would eat up into the 76ers books until the 2025-26 season. Only he and Embiid could potentially be on the books, which gives the 76ers the flexibility to go after another big star in the summer to pair with Durant and Embiid. The two of them are going to earn a combined $101.2 million next season, leaving $39.8 million left for Daryl Morey to land another star or surround the two with high-level roles in the summer.
Nonetheless, all these are hypotheticals and the reality is, the 76ers still face the problem of dealing with Joel Embiid’s injury. Philadelphia is still a championship contender at the end of the day, as long as they have the reigning MVP and Maxey, who is a more-than-suitable co-star for Embiid.
