Memphis Grizzlies: What would it take to pry Kevin Durant away from Brooklyn?

A king’s ransom for the Memphis Grizzlies to acquire Kevin Durant?

There was a chance that before Kyrie Irving resigned with the Brooklyn Nets, the Memphis Grizzlies could have ended up with one of the most talented rosters of all time by engaging in a sign-and-trade deal to land Kevin Durant.

With free agency quickly approaching, the rumor mill is churning up story after story, and one of the league’s biggest headlines revolved around both Irving and Durant calling it quits in Brooklyn. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, “Brooklyn would rather lose both stars than “go through what they went through last season“.’

According to Jacob Ellerbee, the Grizzlies can expect to have around $20.7 million in cap space heading into free agency. This would have left them in a great place to be one of the few teams that could have put together a considerable sign and trade deal to acquire Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets.

Speculation on Durant making Memphis home this offseason did not come out of thin air. An offshore site had the Memphis Grizzlies listed as with the second-best odds to land Durant if he left the Nets at +400. The next question that would have had to be tackled is would it have even been worth giving up the package necessary to land a player of Durant.

One of the main counterpoints against trading for Durant was that he is far older than the Grizzlies’ current championship window. While this is true, landing a player like Durant would have likely made the Grizzlies championship favorites of the foreseeable future.

It could easily be argued that rushing the process and going through with this deal would be the worst thing the Grizzlies could do right now. However, we all saw just how close the Grizzlies came to defeating the eventual NBA championship-winning Golden State Warriors. Durant would have been the final push that this roster still needs to get over the hump and begin playing for championships.

The make-or-break point in making this Kevin Durant sign-and-trade worth it (even in the long run) for the Grizzlies is what they would have had to give up to get him.

In a mock trade that James Piercy made from NBA Analysis, The Grizzlies would have sent Steven Adams, Dillon Brooks, a 2023 First Round Pick (MEM), a 2024 First Round Pick (GSW), a 2025 First Round Pick (MEM), and a 2027 First Round Pick (MEM). In return, they would receive Kevin Durant and no draft compensation. At this point, with trade talks coming to a screeching halt, no one will know how much more or less the Grizzlies would have had to have given up to land Durant.

The only downside the Grizzlies would have faced in trading for a superstar like Durant is that the team would have been forced to give up a hefty amount of draft picks. In this hypothetical trade, the Grizzlies would not have had a first-round pick until the 2026 draft. This is a very risky thing to do, however, a duo of Durant and Ja Morant would have been one of if not the best pairing in the entire NBA.

While Durant does have a considerable amount of injury history, his game still has not faltered. Durant does not rely on his physicality to thrive on the court. As a result of this, it is unlikely that his game will ungracefully age.

As Morant continues to develop as a player, Durant would have had the luxury of dialing back to a supporting role in only a few years, and the Grizzlies could continue to be championship contenders for at least the next five years.