Toronto Raptors Reportedly Eyeing Kevin Durant in Potentially Huge Offseason Gamble

Seven years after trading for Kawhi Leonard in a high-risk, high-reward move, the Toronto Raptors are reportedly willing to take a similar gamble.

According to Marc Stein, the Raptors are among the teams open to acquiring Kevin Durant this offseason, even though he is entering the final year of his contract. Durant is set to earn $54.7 million next season and is eligible to sign a two-year, $122 million extension with any team that acquires him.

“What you’re hearing now on Kevin Durant, there are teams out there that are saying, you know what, we know he’s only under contract for one more year at about 55 million. We’re willing to gamble on him,” Stein said on the ALL NBA Podcast. “The Toronto Raptors are one of those teams.”

The Raptors are no strangers to being linked to Durant. They reportedly explored a trade for him in 2022 when he requested a move out of Brooklyn. According to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, Toronto was interested in Durant at the trade deadline this past year. More recently, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that Toronto is viewed by league insiders as a realistic landing spot for Durant if Giannis Antetokounmpo is not made available.

Toronto has been widely expected to be active this offseason. Brian Windhorst of ESPN previously said the Raptors are in the market for a “big fish,” and Fischer noted there is a sense of pressure on the front office to take a step forward after a second consecutive lottery season.

A potential trade for Durant would be difficult to structure. The Raptors would need to include two of their five projected starters to match salary. A package built around RJ Barrett and either Jakob Poeltl or Immanuel Quickley is the most plausible path. Toronto also owns the No. 9 pick in the upcoming draft and controls its future first-round selections. 

There would also be questions about how a deal might impact the roster. Kevin Durant, Brandon Ingram, and Scottie Barnes all prefer to operate in the midrange, and both Durant and Ingram rank among the league’s most frequent long two-point shooters. Building an offense around that trio would require additional floor spacing and a more defined offensive structure.

Toronto would also face potential depth issues depending on who is included in the deal. Trading Jakob Poeltl would leave the team without a reliable center on the roster. Moving Immanuel Quickley would create a hole at point guard. Any deal for Durant would raise the team’s ceiling but also create new challenges the Raptors would need to solve.

Further Reading