“With 2 years left on the deal he says ‘you know what? I ain’t happy’… He didn’t put them on the list” - NBA analyst believes the Pelicans should be careful in trading for Kevin Durant
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant is yet to see a trade materialize for him. The Nets are yet to be convinced by a trade package for the two-time champion. The likes of the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat are the frontrunners currently but a trade is yet to pan out.
On Fox Sports' morning show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, former NFL star Shannon Sharpe share his take. He spoke about how the New Orleans Pelicans should not try to trade for KD. Sharpe believes that KD could hang them out to to dry if the going gets tough and force his way out of there as well.
"They got the draft capital if they wanted to do this deal, but I can't trust Kevin Durant. I give up BI (Brandon Ingram) and I give up a lot of my draft capital and in two years with 2 years left on the deal he says ‘you know what? I ain’t happy, y'all need to move me.' I'd be leery too because he didn’t put them on the list.
"If I got to give up everything to get Kevin Durant, then what good is Kevin Durant to me? Kevin Durant and Zion Williamson, they are not coming out of the West, they are not a championship team," Sharpe said.
The New Orleans Pelicans are yet to be strongly linked as a possible destination for KD, largely due to the small market that New Orleans is in. Durant will be leaving the media capital of the world in New York for a move to the Pelicans. As a result, it isn't one of the touted landing spots of the two-time Finals MVP.
The Pelicans reportedly are unwilling to offer Brandon Ingram in package for KD:
"I don't believe KD and Zion make the Pelicans a championship contender. But I'd be leery too because the Pelicans weren't on KD's list...He can become unhappy and leave." — @ShannonSharpe https://t.co/Ljex1W1XtK
Can the Pelicans trade for Kevin Durant?
The Brooklyn Nets have made their demands very clear for Kevin Durant. They are expecting draft capital after exhausting much of their picks in the trade package for James Harden, something KD reportedly wanted. The Nets also want at the very least an All-Star player in return.
The New Orleans Pelicans have three players who are either All-Star or borderline All-Star caliber - Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram. Zion is a franchise player and is off the table, while CJ McCollum has been very impressive since his trade from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Despite the loss, Kevin Durant still scored enough to reach 25,000 career points Sunday.
LeBron James is the only active player that reached the feat faster than him.
Carmelo Anthony completes the trio as the only 3 active players with 25,000 points. https://t.co/gQgaqWDL96
Brandon Ingram, widely considered to be KD’s second-coming, is the player that will headline any package for Durant. A package deal involving draft capital, Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas would be appealing for the Nets. They will get a like-for-like replacement for KD in BI and a center with a perimeter game.
This is one of the best packages that the Brooklyn Nets could get for the Slim Reaper. While there is no reason to believe that the Pelicans are willing to trade BI, the likelihood of any package from New Orleans will have to feature Ingram.