The Summer of Kevin Durant looms, as multiple teams will be creating trade packages for KD, but have enough people wondered whether Durant is worth it?
KD will be 37 years old by the time the 2025-26 NBA season tips off. In fairness to Durant, an all-time great, he's still producing at a high level in defiance of Father Time.
In 62 games for Phoenix this season, Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 52.7/43.0/83.9 shooting splits. That's superstar production, no matter how you slice it.
Even so, the Suns stank, and Durant has to be held somewhat culpable for their failures. It's hard to put a finger on KD's value in 2025, but given all the trade buzz that's beginning to pile up, it's easy to speculate that he's overrated at this point.
To get a grip on your estimation of Durant's value, take a look at the following trade package that the Cleveland Cavaliers could put together for KD this summer.
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Imagine the Cavs have just been eliminated in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Boston Celtics and have decided to break up their double-big roster in a deal for Durant, hoping that a KD-Donovan Mitchell-Darius Garland-Evan Mobley core will be enough to overcome Boston next season.
Here's what the package would look like.
The Trade
Cavaliers receive...
- Kevin Durant
Suns receive...
- Jarrett Allen
- De'Andre Hunter
- Dean Wade
- 2031 first-rounder
The Suns would turn this trade down, even though it's a fair package for KD. Allen is an All-Star-level center in his prime, Hunter is a starting wing, and Wade is a valuable wing defender off the bench who can also shoot. That's three winning players who can contribute to a playoff rotation (one of them being an All-Star big) plus a first-round pick for one or two more high-level years of Durant (best-case scenario).
This trade would be rejected, but does that reflect Durant's bloated value on the market or the Suns' in-house delusion about KD's value? Probably both.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of package Phoenix ends up choosing for Durant, but based on how the franchise has been run recently, the Suns will probably find a way to make the wrong trade.
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