The Kevin Durant saga has been filled with twists and turns. After the Brooklyn Nets were swept out of the first round, the Nets were in a tricky situation with star point guard Kyrie Irving and his potential free agency.
Once that was settled it was reported that Kevin Durant requested a trade from the franchise. A trade has yet to materialize but Durant did give Nets owner Joe Tsai an ultimatum about getting traded or firing head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks.
However, it’s being rumored by Ian Bagley of SNYtv that the Philadelphia 76ers could be in the running for the former MVP. In Bagley’s words,
"“…Durant also sees Philadelphia as another welcome landing spot, per people familiar with the matter.”"
The Boston Celtics were the other team linked to Durant by Bagley. However, this puts Philly in a particular situation regarding their roster.
The Philadelphia 76ers are rumored to be a potential landing spot for Durant.
This honestly isn’t that surprising if you’ve been following the Durant sage this offseason. Each team he’s been connected to is in the tier of contenders in their respective conference. The Sixers are certainly at the top level of talent in the Eastern Conference.
It should also be noted that Durant was seen with 76ers star James Harden at a Travis Scott concert this summer. This is important due to the fact that the relationship between the two stars was strained when Harden was traded to Philly from Brooklyn.
I tend to agree with Bagley’s assessment that any trade surrounding Durant will have to make up a package of Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, and Matisse Thybulle. The question comes in on if the Sixers have the draft assets to make a deal feasible.
It seems based on this rumor that the Philadelphia 76ers are now officially in the running for Durant and if they can land him they could become title favorites.