In the hours and days since then, trade rumors and simulations have run wild as the media and fans try to decipher the most likely landing spot for the 12-time All-Star. A seemingly unlikely candidate may emerge: the Toronto Raptors. The team from the north could be a dark horse to sign Durant, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested in Friday’s edition of NBA Today. “I think one team that is lurking and is going to lurk in this is Toronto,” Wojnarowski said. “They have all the kinds of pieces you’d want and their picks to make a Kevin Durant deal.” Prominent pieces Toronto could offer include veteran and 2021-22 All-NBA third-teamer Pascal Siakam, shooting and ball-hawking guard Gary Trent Jr., original 3D wing OG Anunoby, or even franchise point guard and 2021-22 all-star Fred VanVleet. But, without a doubt, the most prized trade chip is Rookie of the Year winner Scottie Barnes. The Raptors would ideally like to keep Barnes and not have to move the 2021 No. 4 overall pick for any player regardless of their caliber, Wojnarowski adds. Toronto has enticing assets, but would president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster commit to such a franchise-altering team and revamp? Well, they’ve done it again. In July 2018, the Raptors shipped franchise icon and all-star stalwart DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for forward and 2014 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, even though the San Diego State product had played in just nine contests last season and only had one year left on his contract. “(The Raptors) have an organization leader in Masai Ujiri, who you saw take a chance on Kawhi Leonard with one year left on his deal,” Wojnarowski said. That opportunity paid off as Toronto captured the franchise’s first NBA championship in the 2018-19 season, with Leonard picking up his second Finals MVP trophy. The required pieces may be in place and the Raptors’ arms have a history of rolling the dice, but does Durant want to go to Toronto and stay long-term? Shortly after the request was announced, it was reported that the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns were among the teams Durant had on his destination “wish list,” according to Wojnarowski, without any mention of the Raptors. Durant has expressed some form of interest in joining the franchise, citing the Raptors as his favorite team growing up during his childhood in Washington, D.C. But how much stock can management put in comments made nearly a decade ago about the interest shown dating back to the late 1990s and early 2000s? Whoever acquires the all-time great will need the trade package, the willingness and possibly an attractive destination to host a long-term mutually beneficial tenure. Upon closer inspection, it appears the Raptors have a mix of ingredients to pull off one of the biggest blockbusters in league history. The question is, as Wojnarowski put it: “How far are the Raptors willing to go?”
