Raptors Reportedly 'Lurking' on Kevin Durant amid Heat, Rockets, Spurs Trade Rumors
History may repeat itself with a decorated star on an expiring contract sitting atop the NBA trade market.
Kawhi Leonard made the most of his one season with the Toronto Raptors, winning a championship in 2018-19 before leaving in free agency. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Sunday on SportsCenter the Raptors could take the same bet with Kevin Durant.
"He had a list of teams he preferred to go to," Windhorst said of Leonard. "He had one year left on his contract, and the Toronto Raptors were willing to roll the dice as a possible rental. And once again, you don't see Toronto on Durant's list, but the Raptors are one of the teams lurking out there, who may be willing to do this without knowing that they can keep Durant on an extension, and basically potentially be a rental. And I think there's a couple others, including the Los Angeles Clippers, and potentially even the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is still wide open. Maybe Durant gets what he wants, maybe he has to accept something else."
The 15-time All-Star is set to become a free agent in 2026, though he can sign a two-year extension as early as July 6. Shams Charania of ESPN reported the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are believed to be the three teams where he'd immediately re-sign as part of a trade.
One factor worth considering for the Raptors is that they're in a much different place now than they were when they acquired Leonard.
Prior to Kawhi's arrival, Toronto had made five straight playoff appearances. The franchise was clearly a contender and just needed to shake up the status quo a bit after hitting it its ceiling with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry together.
Durant, by contrast, would be joining a squad coming off a three-year playoff drought.
Injuries certainly played a role in Toronto's 30-52 finish. Brandon Ingram has yet to make his Raptors debut following a February trade. Immanuel Quickley was limited to 33 appearances. Scottie Barnes was sidelined for around a month in the fall.
Still, so much with the team remains theoretical. The Raptors are still waiting for Barnes to make that superstar leap, and Ingram has similarly failed to turn a corner after his lone All-Star appearance in 2019-20.
Without Durant, Toronto isn't a lock for the top six in the wide-open Eastern Conference, so a win-now trade with potentially only one year in mind doesn't make as much sense as it did with Leonard in 2019.
