OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti Says Trading Kevin Durant Would Be 'Ludicrous'

Russell Westbrook has been positively brilliant since Kevin Durant underwent a minor procedure on his right foot three weeks ago, but has his play somehow made the reigning MVP expendable? 

According to former Portland Trail Blazers executive and current ESPN analyst Tom Penn, that may be the case as Durant approaches free agency in the summer of 2016: 

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I think this burst from Westbrook makes it much more likely that Durant ultimately gets traded next year. ... Sam Presti has proven that he does not ever want to lose anybody for nothing. So he traded James Harden a year early to avoid a potential luxury tax problem a year later.

The Kevin Durant drumbeat next year is going to be so loud because he will not commit early to Oklahoma City contractually because the rules are against that. He can't get the same contract if he signs early as if he just goes to free agency and resigns.

So if Sam Presti doesn't get that commitment, he'll look to to trade Kevin Durant. And looking at the performance of Westbrook and the team around Westbrook will make it easier for him to do that potentially.

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Responding to Penn's remarks made on The Herd with Colin Cowherd prior to Wednesday's clash with the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti unequivocally dispelled the notion that Durant could be traded before his contract expires, according to The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry: 

It's a compelling concept in theory, but Presti's right on the money. 

Even if the Thunder did explore trade options, how would they possibly be able to find equal return value for what Durant offers qualitatively and quantitatively? The answer is they wouldn't. 

Plus, Durant doesn't appear to be a major flight risk at the moment. 

"I love playing for Oklahoma City, man," Durant said in January, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge. "There's just a certain level of pride that I have when I play with that Oklahoma City on my chest."

When it comes to the deals of expiring contributors, teams have historically liked to extract some sort of compensation at the risk of holding on and watching the player walk in free agency. Rajon Rondo is a perfect recent example. 

But Durant's value transcends whatever Oklahoma City could feasibly acquire in a future deadline dump. Ultimately, this isn't a run-of-the-mill situation, and the Thunder shouldn't treat it as such. 

And for all of the talk that Oklahoma City is better when one its superstars has unfiltered access to the offense's mainframe, the numbers don't reinforce that perception.

According to NBA.com, the Thunder have eight two-man combinations that have shared the floor for at least 700 minutes this season. Among them, Durant and Westbrook own the highest net rating (plus-9.3) when they operate as running mates. They're also holding opponents to 98.3 points per 100 possessions together—a defensive rating good enough to rank among the league's top three.    

As those figures indicate, dealing Durant wouldn't just be wildly unpopular—it would also represent a major tactical misstep. 

At this rate, Oklahoma City doesn't need to be in the business of hedging its bets in the form of a trade. All it needs to do is focus on building the best product possible with a title in its crosshairs.

And right now, the only way for the Thunder to achieve their ultimate goal will be with Durant leading the charge with Westbrook by his side.