The Toronto Raptors won’t be getting Kevin Durant this summer.
The Phoenix Suns have agreed to trade Durant to the Houston Rockets in a deal that sends Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five second-round picks to Phoenix, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The trade ends weeks of speculation about the Raptors possibly trading for the 36-year-old.
The Raptors were heavily involved in the Durant rumors for weeks. Many reports came out stating that the Raptors were monitoring the Durant situation and they were seen as a wild-card suitor. However, a deal never came close to happening.
A Durant deal was always seen as a stretch for the Raptors mainly because of his salary. Durant is set to earn $54.7 million next season. Matching that number required Toronto to include Jakob Poeltl’s $19.5 million contract. However, multiple reports suggested the Raptors were unwilling to trade Poeltl in a deal for Durant. The other option was a three-team trade scenario involving RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley but that was always deemed a long shot.
Also, Durant reportedly preferred Houston, the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. The Raptors were not on his list of preferred trade destinations.
It was hard to justify the Raptors making an all-in, win-now move for a player who’s about to turn 37-years-old and who could very well leave after one season.
Now for the Raptors, their focus will shift to the 2025 NBA Draft set for June 25. They have the No. 9 pick and they have been reportedly active on the trade market leading up to the draft. The Raptors also have an entire offseason to navigate any other deals.
The Raptors trading for Durant always seemed unlikely and now it’s official that it won’t be happening. Time for the Raptors to move on.
Raptors expected to keep Jakob Poeltl
It doesn’t seem like Jakob Poeltl is going anywhere.
It was reported by Sportsnet’s Michael Grange on Friday that the Toronto Raptors are unwilling to include Poeltl in a deal for Kevin Durant.
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