Recent LaMelo Ball, Giannis blockbusters reveal harsh Kevin Durant trade truth

The NBA is truly an ever-changing league. LaMelo Ball plays in Minnesota and Giannis Antetokounmpo plays in Miami. The Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks got significant returns for their respective star players. If the Houston Rockets decide to trade their future first-ballot Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, could they get a similar return?

How does Kevin Durant’s trade value compare to the recently traded stars?

LaMelo Ball was traded for a draft pick haul and Naz Reid, a quality 26-year-old NBA player on a long-term contract.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded for two proven NBA players in Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez, two up-and-coming players in Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakučionis, plus a draft pick haul.

Evaluating Kevin Durant’s value relative to those two players is a difficult task. Durant is the only one of the three to make an All-NBA Team last year. Despite that, at this point in their careers, Giannis is clearly the best player. However, Giannis was also injured for the majority of last season, a common theme in recent years.

LaMelo Ball might be the least skilled, but he is also only 24 years old and still has tremendous talent. Minnesota traded for Ball thinking that he may have another 8-10 years of All-Star-level play left in his career.

At 37 years old, Kevin Durant may only have 1-2 years of All-Star-level basketball left in his career. He also has an extensive injury history, although he has been able to remain relatively healthy over the past three seasons.

Durant’s age is the most significant thing impacting his value

Age is going to be the limiting factor in any trade involving Durant. No team will give up the same amount of assets for Durant that Minnesota and Miami gave up for Ball and Antetokounmpo.

Durant is still one of the most talented scorers in the league and can be the difference between a borderline contender and an NBA champion. That is worth a significant trade package.

If Houston decides to move on from Durant and pursue a future with its younger core, it should still expect a solid return. That could mean a young player with high upside, quality veterans, and meaningful draft compensation. It would not be the type of franchise-altering haul Minnesota or Miami gave up, but it would be a substantial package.

The Houston front office would then have to evaluate if that potential package outweighs the benefit of having Durant on the team and in the locker room.

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