Trade Poll 2024.1. Two Kevin Durant trades. Plus open thread.
Disband to reunite the old band?
I poll trade ideas. However, I do have some bare minimum standards.
The trade has to work in a trade machine. It is harmful to talk about impossible trades.
The trade has to be offered by a paid member of the media. This adds a very light layer of quality control to the ideas.
I am not endorsing any particular trade that I poll.
The Trade #1
Golden State Warriors receive: Kevin Durant
Phoenix Suns receive: Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Kevon Looney.
As the Golden State Warriors search for a pivot this offseason to maximize the remaining championship window of Stephen Curry, one name constantly comes up.
Zach Lowe of ESPN floated a trade idea that will bring Durant back to the Bay area where he enjoyed the most successful stretch of his NBA career and also the Warriors.
“KD reunited with the Warriors,” Lowe said on his podcast “The Lowe Post” on April 29. “All the young guys, salary fillers. It’s gonna be [Jonathan] Kuminga and all the other [young] guys you don’t want to trade. It’s Kevin Durant so you’ll probably trade those guys.”
ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks also added Andrew Wiggins into the framework of the hypothetical Golden State-Phoenix Suns trade that could revive the Warriors dynasty into the final years of Durant and Curry’s prime.
“It should be Wiggins as your place holder,” Marks said. “That’s your big number, right? Then it’s gonna be a combination of Kuminga, [Brandin] Podziemski and [Moses] Moody and whatever you have.”
Apricot’s Notes
GSW cannot aggregate salaries (because it is over the legendary second apron) until the next fiscal year starting July 1. To get under the second apron, they will probably have to waive Chris Paul.
I added in Kevon Looney as without his salary, this trade is not legal.
Durant makes $105,887,630 / 2 years. He will be 36 years old. EPM rates him in 2023-24 as Offense EPM: 3.2 (95 percentile) / Defense EPM: 0.9 (81 percentile) / Overall EPM: 4 (95 percentile)
Moses Moody: Offense EPM: −1.2 (52 percentile) / Defense EPM: 0.5 (73 percentile) / Overall EPM: −0.7 (62 percentile)
Jonathan Kuminga: Offense EPM: 0.2 (74 percentile) / Defense EPM: 0.8 (79 percentile) / Overall EPM: 1.0 (79 percentile)
Kevon Looney: Offense EPM: −0.6 (63 percentile) / Defense EPM: −0.7 (47 percentile) / Overall EPM: −1.3 (54 percentile)
Andrew Wiggins: Offense EPM: −0.9 (58 percentile) / Defense EPM: −1.3 (25 percentile) / Overall EPM: −2.2 (44 percentile)
Brandin Podziemski: Offense EPM: 0.1 (72 percentile) / Defense EPM: 0 (64 percentile) / Overall EPM: 0.1 (71 percentile)
The Trade #2
Golden State Warriors receive: F Kevin Durant, G Eric Gordon, G Damion Lee, F Nassir Little
Phoenix Suns receive: G Chris Paul, F Andrew Wiggins, F Jonathan Kuminga, GSW 2025 1st Round Pick (Unprotected), ATL 2026 2nd Round Pick (Unprotected), GSW 2027 1st Round Pick (Top-10 protected)
Apricot’s Notes
GSW cannot aggregate salaries (because it is over the legendary second apron) until the next fiscal year starting July 1. To get under the second apron, they will probably have to waive Chris Paul. If not, they will almost surely have to renounce Klay Thompson. So this trade has the unspoken assumption that Klay Thompson will not be coming back to GSW.
Kevin Durant. Offense EPM: 3.2 (95 percentile) / Defense EPM: 0.9 (81 percentile) / Overall EPM: 4 (95 percentile)
Eric Gordon. Offense EPM: −0.9 (57 percentile) / Defense EPM: −0.4 (55 percentile) / Overall EPM: −1.3 (56 percentile)
Nassir Little. Offense EPM: −3.5 (14 percentile) / Defense EPM: −0.3 (56 percentile) / Overall EPM: −3.8 (22 percentile)
Damion Lee. Injured 2023-24, but for 2022-23: Offense EPM: −1.9 (38 percentile) / Defense EPM: −0.7 (39 percentile) / Overall EPM: −2.6 (36 percentile)
Jonathan Kuminga: Offense EPM: 0.2 (74 percentile) / Defense EPM: 0.8 (79 percentile) / Overall EPM: 1.0 (79 percentile)
Andrew Wiggins: Offense EPM: −0.9 (58 percentile) / Defense EPM: −1.3 (25 percentile) / Overall EPM: −2.2 (44 percentile)
Chris Paul: Offense EPM: 0 (71 percentile) / Defense EPM: 0.7 (78 percentile) / Overall EPM: 0.7 (78 percentile)
Naw..no thxs
that weird noise when Luka was heard was weird ..........