Somehow, the Philadelphia 76ers just got another reason to feel good about their chances next season.
The 2024-25 NBA season has finally concluded with the Oklahoma City Thunder besting the hobbled Indiana Pacers in a huge heartbreak, but before that, the offseason just saw one of its most important sagas arrive at a much-needed and long overdue conclusion.
After a long stretch of speculations and guesswork, the Kevin Durant sweepstakes now has a winner. The Houston Rockets acquired the 15-time All-Star from the Phoenix Suns for a package consisting of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and a handful of draft capital, including this year's 10th overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA draft.
The 76ers, which never really seriously considered going after Durant, were largely relegated to spectator duty, although the relatively lowly price the Rockets had to pay was certainly something Philadelphia could have topped if it wanted to. Nevertheless, the circumstances surrounding the trade brings good news to the franchise, at least from afar.
The 76ers get a good news from afar as rival misses out on Kevin Durant trade
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Suns engaged in serious discussions with the Rockets and another team, the Heat, in the lead-up to the actual trade. In the end, Miami missed out on adding the 36-year-old star to their core of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
“The Heat made multiple offers for Durant but ultimately turned down the opportunity to place Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, the No. 20 pick and other draft assets in a deal, sources said.”
Durant had reportedly cozied up to the idea of moving to South Beach, but Miami’s brass definitely blew that one. As usual, Pat Riley and his cohorts took on a very conservative approach in their proverbial star-plucking, ultimately allowing him to slip to the upstart Rockets, which are now one of the favorites to wrestle the championship away from the Thunder next season.
Without doing anything, the 76ers somehow won. This definitely counts as a sub for the franchise, especially since the prospect of Durant playing with the Heat would have given them another stiff competition in their determined big to return to championship contention next season.
Durant, after all, would have been a perfect closer to pair next to Adebayo and Herro, especially with Miami badly needing a consistent shot creator. Now, the 76ers arguably have a softer route to return to relevance next season, at least in the Eastern Conference.
With the Kevin Durant front now settled, the Philadelphia 76ers should have a clearer idea of what they need to pull off in order to gain an advantage over their biggest competitors in the East. And fans will know just how they plan on doing that in a matter of days when they make their draft selection.