There are NBA trade rumors and then there are NBA superstars dropping doctored photos on social media.
With the NBA draft completed and free agency set to begin July 6, now is the time when trade rumors will start heating up in a league with by far the most intriguing offseason drama.
The Portland Trail Blazers will be in the middle of a lot of rumors this summer. Some legitimate. Some ridiculous.
Already adding fuel to the zany fire that awaits is Damian Lillard, who on Saturday posted to his Instagram account a doctored photo of Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant in a Trail Blazers uniform standing next to Lillard.
The photo appeared Saturday afternoon in an Instagram story, which means it would automatically delete in 24 hours. However, the photo disappeared from Lillard’s Instagram after only a few hours.
That was enough time for the photo to circulate on Twitter and cause a bit of fuss and speculation.
Was Lillard dropping a hint of a trade to come or merely teasing with his wishes? Or, was he simply promoting an interesting idea? Maybe, in the end, he was simply bored.
The bottom line is that such a union is not impossible, although one NBA source told The Oregonian/OregonLive that it is highly unlikely to materialize.
Durant, 34, has three years remaining on his contract with the Nets, so he can’t be had via free agency. He is scheduled to make $46.4 million next season, $49.8 million in 2023-24 and $53.3 million in 2024-25. Any move would have to come via a trade.
It just so happens that the Durant watch is on, given the frosty relationship between his good friend, guard Kyrie Irving, and the Nets franchise. Irving sat out most of last season after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. That caused the Nets to finish 44-38, good for seventh in the Eastern Conference. They had to go through the play-in round to reach the NBA playoffs and then were swept by Boston.
Irving has one year remaining on his contract worth $36.5 million. But he can opt out of the deal. He’s seeking a long-term extension, but the Nets reportedly aren’t eager to oblige.
Should Irving leave, the speculation is that Durant could then seek a trade. Chances are he would want to land with a team that has a chance to contend for a championship.
Portland could be a good fit. A duo of Lillard and Durant could certainly have a chance to contend. But pulling off such a deal would be tricky. The Blazers would have to put together a package of players whose contracts would come close to matching Durant’s salary.
Where there is a will, there is a way, in the NBA, and certainly such a package could possibly be worked out.
But first, Durant must demand a trade and then ask to be sent to Portland, which had a chance to draft him in 2007 but famously used the No. 1 overall pick to take center Greg Oden instead.
As if Lillard’s post didn’t cause a big enough stir on social media, Blazers free agent center Jusuf Nurkic took to Twitter to retweet a post that included the photo in question and then included an emoji of a puzzle piece (see below).
Another troll attempt? Or, is it a case of where there are provocative posts involving proposed NBA trades, there’s fire?
Fake photo of Damian Lillard with Kevin Durant posted to Lillard’s Instagram account on June 25, 2022.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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