BLOCKBUSTER TRADE REACTION 👀 + Should KD be the No. 1 option on his next team? | First Take

BLOCKBUSTER TRADE REACTION 👀 + Should KD be the No. 1 option on his next team? | First Take

said to you “The summer is going to be wild in the NBA You know you and Shams aren’t going to get any vacation I have no patience When’s the action going to start?” And you said “The action’s going to start pretty soon Molly.” And here we are The Memphis Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for Contavius Caldwell Pope Cole Anthony for unprotected first round picks in one first round pick swap Sunday The move represents a massive swing for Orlando to compete in the Eastern Conference For the Grizzlies it’s an opportunity to add a championship defensive wing backcourt depth and a major hall of picks So Wendy I just said the Magic took a massive swing for Bane Fill in the blanks on why this went down Okay so first off let me just break this into two pieces Talk about Orlando really quick This is Orlando sniffing opportunity in the Eastern Conference especially with the Celtics dealing with the Tatum injury knowing that they need shooting an offense going out and targeting a player saying that’s the guy we want They haven’t made a player trade guys The last time they made a player acquisition trade where they got a player and not a draft pick was for Markeel Folultz like four years ago okay Who was like buy low type of guy So they put everything that and they got into this believing that Desmond Bane is a differencemaking player All right that’s what Orlando did They paid a huge price That’s a topic More interesting to me is what this signals for the Grizzlies because what you have here is a team in the middle of a pack in the Western Conference where there’s an arms race Okay I got coaches and executives thinking that there’s 13 or 14 teams out of the 15 in the West that are going to try to go for it next year The the Grizzlies are in the middle of that They take a core player in his prime under controllable long-term contract and they trade him in a draft pick based trade With all due respect to Kavius Caldwell Pope he did not have a good year last year This is a draft pick ccentric trade You’re going “Wait a minute What’s going on here?” Now what I’m going to hear what I’m here to tell you is that the Grizzlies message to anybody who will listen whether it’s media or other teams is we’re retooling not rebuilding We’re going to try to sign Jiren Jackson Jr to a contract extension in the next few weeks And we’re not trading John Morant We’re still fully invested in John Morant I see that actions over words They can sign Jiren Jackson I think this trade actually opens up some more salary maneuverability where they can get that done But I’m going to stop short and just take a step back because that’s what the other executives on other teams are telling me last night They’re saying to me well they’re not trading John Morant now because his value is not where they’d want it to be anyway So there the Johnarant trade is not happening now but this move does not signal confidence in this core because they are with all due respect a worse team on paper than they were yesterday in a very tight Western Conference So actions over words Let’s see the action of signing Jiren Jackson and Stephen A John Morant can sign a contract extension this summer Let’s see the action of whether he signs it or whether it’s offered Let’s keep an eye on the Grizzlies First of all a couple of things Number one I want to be mindful of let’s not hate on John Morant John Morant has been perpetually injured I know the suspensions and all of that stuff happen but you make mistakes you grow from it you learn Let’s move forward The real problem with him is availability not capability Because he’s been injured a lot We understand that right The other side to it is that I’m looking at Memphis right now and I’m saying to myself you look like you won because you got four unprotected first round picks I mean Desmond Bane who I love by the way the brother averaged nearly 18 points a game shot 41% from three One of the better shooters in the NBA make no mistake about it but he’s never been an all-star I’m trying to figure out how him and Muel Bridges you know you give up four unprotected first round picks for these guys I mean that’s a lot That is a lot You know this is not Kevin Durant This is not LeBron This is not a Steph Curry or somebody to give up four Luca for example To give up four first round picks unprotected is a concern for me Now where things get a bit interesting with Desmond Bane I’m just looking at some of these numbers One of three NBA players with 800 made three-pointers and 40% three-point shooting since entering the league in 2020 and has shot 43% on catch and shoot attempts Why does that matter The Magic dead last in three-point field goal percentage at 31.8% this past season Dead last in catch and shoot threes at 32.7% this season The Magic had been the worst three-point field goal percentage in this team in a season since the Lakers in 2015 2016 So I get all of that Adding him to Benro to Devagner to Jaylen Suggs is an upgrade Orlando is saying we’re coming They’re not messing around So if you’re the Knicks you’re Detroit you’re Indiana you’re Cleveland you’re Boston without Jason Tatum look the hell out Orlando is trying to make some noise here And Ben Carroll I think is just a star This brother is just going to ascend He’s one of those dudes I’m just reticent about four unprotected first round picks That’s my only issue with this There’s no shade on Bane whatsoever The brother can play including the Suns pick next year Including the Suns pick next year I’m worried about that That’s a bit much to me if you’re making a deal like that You’re saying this move puts us in championship contention And I don’t know if it does that He can play but that’s a lot I don’t know Stephen I would I would disagree with you Um I I think that’s going for what market value is these days And I would say that the addition of Desmond Bane really does put them in championship contention I mean look at the East right now What’s Cleveland going to do They’re gonna run it back What What are the Knicks gonna do Okay I mean I understand we’re watching the Pacers right now and the Pacers are a really good basketball team We see the window being open with Boston I was just with JB Bickerstaff in Detroit Okay but this thing is wide open I mean you’re talking about a guy who is a career 40 point three point 40% three-point shooter who averages six and a half attempts per game That’s efficiency So I know there’s some questions around what they’re doing uh what he does defensively at times with getting Jayen Susach with Anthony Black with Paulo Ben Caro with Fros Vagner I mean you’re talking about a team that is right there that can contend for Eastern Conference Championship and an NBA championship So I would highly disagree with you in that regard Well well well well well You know what I stand corrected because you’re right Looking at the Eastern Conference they obviously could compete So you’re right about that Jay I guess my bigger point was four first round picks Listen you can’t say it’s to go on rape when the only person we’ve seen that done for is Muel Bridges for a nonallar You know I mean Bane is damn good Please don’t get me wrong I’m not throwing any shade on him whatsoever I’m simply saying you know contavis Carbo call Anthony and you give up a couple of unprotected first round picks Okay I can get that Four of them Four of them for a guy that that that I’m just saying when you say that’s the going that’s the going rate The only person that that’s been done for is Muel Bridges We know that was because Brooklyn was dealing with New York Let me add some context Sure So the trade for Male Bridges the first two picks being delivered from that trade are in this draft They’re picks 19 and 26 And in that trade uh Buen Bdanovich was tra that’s a forgotten name Buan Bdanovich was traded to the Nets The Nets paid him over $20 million this year He didn’t play one game So so part of what that was paying for was picks that were not that high Now I don’t know what the Knicks 2029 unprotected first is going to be Maybe it’ll be the number one pick in the draft for all I know So that’s one thing You also got to look what else is in the trade in this trade And again I do not want to smear the name of Contavius Cowwell Pope However he just had probably his worst season in 10 years He’s got two years and 44 million left on his contract That’s not a contract that has value in trade So part cuz and the reason I’m bringing this up Stephen A is because people are going to see this trade and they’re going to say well if Desmond Bane’s getting four first round picks then Kevin Durant’s got to get six It’s not quite that way because they’re not just paying for Bane they’re also paying to offload KCP I just want to add that context First Take is brought to you by Liberty Mutual Insurance Only pay for what you need [Music] Kevin Durant is expected to be in the move again this summer gentlemen This will be his fifth team in his NBA career He’s got a short list of preferred destinations So this is according to Arsham’s Trannia Katie’s preferred teams are the Heat the Spurs and Rockets with teams around the league being told that those are the three teams Durant will commit on a long-term extension However the Suns have made it clear to interested teams that they will make the best deal for the franchise even if it means trading Durant outside of his preferred list What a time Uh Wendy whichever team he lands on do you believe Kevin Durant should be the number one option on his next team He can be a number one option He just had arguably one of the best shooting seasons of his career at age 36 37 in his 16th season or whatever it was But I don’t think that the team should plan for him to be Number one if you’re trading for Kevin Durant you want to have a team built out that can try to win the whole thing You’re not trading for him on some three-year plan even if he’s going to get an extension The second thing is just this and he’s been relatively healthy for the last two years but he has missed 20 or more games in six or seven of the last eight seasons So you know he’s you know two years ago he played 75 games Last year he played 62 That’s really good But you know still missed 20 games last year So you know it’s that’s one of the things if you’re going to have a player in his late 30s on your roster you got to make sure your roster is equipped for that player to miss some time Let me say this about Kevin Durant and I’ll say this to you as well Jay The Kevin Durant that we have witnessed throughout his professional career deserves to be a number two option behind no one No one You can’t know the game of basketball and look at a Kevin Durant and say somebody else deserves to be a number one option ahead of that brother You just can’t do it He’s 7 feet tall with a 76 wingspan who can score from anywhere Threes twos mid-range free throws fast break open it doesn’t matter It doesn’t matter Now I’m not saying that if you have winter you forget about him If you have a LeBron or a Steph you forget about him I will remind you when Kevin Durant was on Golden State being coached by Steve Scur Steve Kerr playing alongside the Splash Brothers he still wasn’t the number two option He still wasn’t a number two option I mean you could look at plays being caught for Steph You could look at Steph moving without the basketball and having everybody’s head on a swivel because the greatest shooter God has ever created scared the living hell out of you But it wasn’t like that made Kevin Durant a number two Kevin Durant just has that ability where he can suppress his offensive assertiveness when he wants to because he’s efficient enough to go out there with less shots and still give you 27 a night in his sleep This is who the hell KD is So when we ask this question let’s understand that the last time we saw this brother he was averaging 27 Years before that he was averaging Achilles he’s averaging 27 He hurts his foot and misses games He’s averaging 27 Kevin Durant Molly averaged 20 points a game as a rookie That is his lowest level of production in his career This is who he is So to ask this question number one option the reality is that you can never justify him being a number two unless he says just give that brother the ball I’ll work around him If Kevin Durant says that that’s fine But you as a basketball mind you can’t look at a Kevin Durant and say there’s somebody that deserves to be the number one option ahead of him Not with that level of greatness on the offensive side of the ball You just can’t do it I think I can do it I I because I don’t think because I don’t think KD looks at the game the way that media talks about the game I don’t think KD goes into a situation saying “Yeah.” Oh well I’m just giving you insight I I think KD goes into the situation thinking that all right the world may talk about who’s number one or who’s number two but I’m Kevin Durant I can feel out for what the situation calls for So if there’s a situation where Anthony Edwards wants to carry a lot of the load and be the number one guy by all means do it Be him I want you to be him The more you’re him the more I could be me But when it comes down to a gamer critical moment you have the best weapon maybe in this generation to utilize And I think KD loves basketball so much that he would probably agree with the fact that utilizing him at the right time in the right space to be that option for a team to seal it That’s what Kevin Durant loves He loves the game more than anything J Yes Did you just refute Is it just that hard for you to say “Yo Stephen A I agree with you.” That’s what I said I said that’s exactly what I said I’m saying “Yo Jay if if if you got staff if you’ve got young you got somebody and KD is like listen I don’t need to be utilized that way I don’t give a damn what the media said Just work around them I’ll work around it Give me the ball when it’s time Make sure I get the ball.” That’s what I just said I’m just saying as basketball fans it’s like “He’s so great He’s so great.” I’m saying you as a coach can’t go to him and say you deserve to be number two because this person deserves to be number one I’m saying because of his efficiency and his greatness you can’t do that But he most certainly will be like this Go ahead and give it to Ant-Man Let the offense evolve around him Go ahead and give it to Giannis Go ahead and give it to Steph I’ll be all right Gets the ball I mean the guy can’t be defended He can’t You can’t He can’t But this is a question about are you trading a gigantic package of assets for him and are you giving him a two-year 130 million contract extension at age 37 because that’s what you’re talking about if you’re the number one option But the only reason you would hesitate to do that is because of his age Well not his game Not his game doesn’t make you say you will do that His age agree with that But if you’re asking number one option again we’re not talking about a tie game We’re talking about this is Kevin Durant about to be traded and you’re deciding what you’re going to trade for him whether you’re going to pay him That’s what you’re debating here Are you going to debate whether a guy who’s frankly has missed some games right Nobody doubts when he’s on the court that he’s going to get a basket like no one else in the history of the game But I’m talking about number one option as in core player of your franchise I say maybe this is on me because maybe I’m mistaken number one option for the guy that’s going to carry the load throughout the course of the entire season right Like as he’s the option the one that carries the bucket not like as he’s the closing out or he’s the guy that can drop 35 but it’s in certain moments of the game And all I was saying is at this stage of his career you shouldn’t want to put that wear and tear on the greatness of where KD is and how he can be optimized at the right time That’s what I meant to say That’s fair because that’s fair because there’s two different ways of looking at the way you just described The way I was describing is I’m on this basketball team I’m Kevin Durant and you’re telling me I have to be differential to somebody else That doesn’t happen with a Kevin Durant That’s not something you can justify But again carrying the load over the course of 82 games knowing the games that he’s missed age attrition has kicked in that kind of stuff that wear and tear that you might want to avoid putting on him I understand that point From that point y’all are absolutely right I’m just talking about his skill combined with his level of production You have to look at him and understand there is no such thing as an option better than him I don’t know if the league agrees with you because if the league agre so here’s the thing He’s openly out there Shams is reporting and Shams is on the nose okay that it’s Houston San Antonio and and Miami If any of those teams felt that he was a number one they’d have the deal done That’s not necessarily true because they have the assets to do it Okay First of all you’re trying to tell me there’s a debate as to whether or not Kevin Durant would be the number one option in Miami There’s nothing to think about There’s nothing to think about Wendy I agree But it’s in Houston Well nothing option But I think it goes to the fact about obviously if he was on the team but it goes to be about whether you’re going to pay to have it be the number one option If those teams were offering a package that regarded him as the number one option they have the assets to do it They have Yeah But but but that’s not their issue Their issue is again his age the attrition his lack of availability Those things come into play as to why they’re hesitant to give up an inordinate amount of assets to acquire him not his gain when he’s on the basketball court part of this and the the team that’s been most aggressive is Minnesota who we all know the number one option will be Ant right because again because he’s the future he’s the face of the franchise I agree but not because he’s more efficient than Kevin Durant but also Wendy I think it’s overall yes it is I was going to say Wendy and I also think there is a mutual respect about how both those individuals are built where they wouldn’t mind deferring to each other in moments because that would be KD’s little brother that you would want to see him rise and and put on that crown that he deserves That’s why it’s like chemistry and temperament matter with where Kevin Durant goes It can’t just be like let’s plug Kevin Durant into a situation like that situation has to be foundationally built correctly to make sure that KD can become the best version of himself Totally correct But it’s all right Just let the as we’re doing let the audience know that as opposed to somebody saying number one option his skill set does it warrant it Yes it does even at his age Yes it does because the level of production is that elite Yeah Wendy I know he has his preferred destinations and obviously the Suns said they’re not limited to that They just want the best deal What are you hearing Yeah I I definitely think these teams have all had discussions with Phoenix but you know at the trade deadline on deadline the day two leading up to trade deadline Minnesota was trying like smoke and mirrors trying to figure out how to make a trade for Kevin Durant and then they went on and when they couldn’t do the deal then they went on and had an amazing last third of the season and reached the Western Conference Finals So I come into this offseason thinking well they’re not gonna still look for Durant But the truth is from everything I’m being told they’ve been the most aggressive team Now look the deal isn’t done So just because you’ve made aggressive offers it doesn’t matter There’s again Toronto has been in there Toronto has been trying to package a couple of their players with the number nine pick They’re trying to find like hey is somebody number nine going to get somebody excited That hasn’t happened yet The Clippers I think are are lurking in there By the way if if Durant went to the Clippers you’d have James Harden there You know there would be some sharing of that that top load But the team that’s been most interested from what I have been told has been the Wolves The Wolves definitely have been the most interested team But here’s the biggest problem It’s not really about KD It’s about what Matt Ishbia and the Suns are asking for KD because they’ve got some making up to do because of the bevy of assets they gave away to acquire him along with other players And so because that’s your reality they’re looking to recoup some of those things Devin Booker is the only person that’s safe They’d give away Bradley Beal in a heartbeat if he allowed them to but he’s got a no trade clause and that’s problematic I wonder if this trade yesterday Molly actually might have hurt a Durant trade because if you’re Matt Ishbia and you see Desmond Bane go for four first and I again I just tried to explain that it wasn’t just for Desmond Bane but you’re looking you’re like “Well I’m not I’m not getting four first.” like you know because Durant is going to get traded for more players They’re not going to give a a pickbased trade At least at least I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen So I’m wondering if this trade yesterday may have stalled this Don’t don’t wonder It is Trust me when I tell you it is Matt Ashbia looked at that trade and he’s like “What the hell?” You understand And I got to make sure I get you know I get equitable assets for Kevin Durant because Desmond Bane is a damn good player who’s going to help the Orlando Magic immensely but he ain’t no damn Kevin Durant That’s what they’re looking at right now So again it might not be four unprotected picks but it’s certainly not going to be what others have been offering They’re going to want a little more Just trust me on that I’m with you on that Stephen All I would say too just to add on to it is I wouldn’t I wouldn’t say it’s out of bounds to think about this as a one-year deal either If you are able to find the right assets for this pick right It’s hey I’m not sure I want this to be a long-term thing Let’s give our best odds to win a championship within a year and then let’s call it after that But so that that that could be something on the table as well

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Jay Williams and Brian Windhorst weigh in on the Memphis Grizzlies sending Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, 4 unprotected 1st-round picks and one 1st-round pick swap before debating whether Kevin Durant should be the No. 1 option on his next team.

0:00 Reaction to the blockbuster trade
8:50 Should Kevin Durant be the No. 1 option on his next team?
15:50 Stephen A. and Brian Windhorst get into a heated debate
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