The Oklahoma City Thunder are sitting pretty atop the Western Conference, and it’s not hard to see why. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a top MVP candidate, Jalen Williams is an All-Star, and the rest of their core is full of elite talent. But just because they own a huge lead for the one seed in the West doesn’t mean they are immune to potential threats.
As teams around the league look to build up their title hopes, especially after the Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, the latest name being thrown around is former Thunder star and current Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant.
And if he ends up with one of the teams reportedly showing interest, it could cause problems for the Thunder.
Kevin Durant trade rumors could pose threat to Thunder title hopes
According to Sam Amick, David Aldridge, and Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and Golden State Warriors are three of the teams interested in trading for Durant
After trading for Anthony Davis, the Mavs don’t have an easy pathway to a Durant deal right now, at least from a financial perspective. Since the Suns are a second-apron team and the Mavs don’t have any big contracts outside of Davis and Kyrie Irving, who they likely wouldn’t want to trade, a deal is unlikely.
The Warriors have the means to trade for Durant and probably the most interest, but they are barely a Play-In team right now. So, even if they land Durant, they wouldn’t be a massive threat to the Thunder.
But then there’s the Rockets.
“League sources say the Houston Rockets, whose longtime interest in the Suns’ Devin Booker is likely to be revisited before the deadline, are known to be contemplating a pursuit of Durant as well,” the article wrote.
Houston adding Durant would definitely make them even more of a challenger in the West, and considering they are already one of the Thunder’s biggest threats toward the top of the West, that’s a scary proposition.
The Rockets have made their money on the defensive end, so if they could add an elite offensive player to that mix (and one of the greatest of all time), it would be a frightening sight.
Oklahoma City has a large lead on the Rockets out West right now, but a guy like Durant can change a lot, especially in a playoff series.
The Thunder still may be favored over a Durant-led Rockets team, but it would definitely make their road to a Finals birth even tougher.