At least some in the Philadelphia front office “feel strongly” about getting in on the Kevin Durant trade talks, which have become more slog than sweepstakes.
But one of the questions Daryl Morey and company needed to ask themselves first was, are Durant and James Harden back on good terms after Harden forced his way out of Brooklyn? The answer appears to be yes. They were hanging out together at a Travis Scott concert in London.
Then there was a video of the duo working out together in Barcelona. The well-connected Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tied it all together on NBA Today.
That answers the “will they get along?” question. (It raises the “how does everyone feel about Kyrie Irving?” question, but we’ll save that one for another day.)
Can the 76ers pull off a Durant trade is a different, more complicated question? The two stars getting along doesn’t really change the trade equation.
As Shelburne noted the sides have talked, but like everything on the Durant trade front, those conversations seem to have stalled out. The 76ers could put together a package based around Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle and Tobias Harris plus a pick or two, but does that motivate the Nets? Is it even the best offer Brooklyn has seen?
Philadelphia is a title contender without adding Durant (especially after their offseason moves to land PJ Tucker, Daniel House and DeAnthony Melton). How much of their core (and future, with Maxey) are they willing to break up to add Durant?
More and more, the Kevin Durant trade situation feels like it’s headed to a training camp showdown: Will Kevin Durant show up or hold out? Does the 76ers front office have the comfort with being uncomfortable that Daryl Morey and the 76ers showed with Ben Simmons, or will they just want to get a trade done to move on? Nothing likely gets done soon, it may be late September before we start to get real heat on the Durant front again.
Check out more on the Nets
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Durant, Harden apparently ‘back on good terms,’ but does that change KD trade talks? originally appeared on NBCSports.com