Top 10 reasons why Durant will be a Raptor next summer!

[DanH]

It also makes it really unlikely that small teams will ever enter luxury since they pay a penalty and lose equalization payments. The penalty and loss of sharing revenue is almost double what OKC faced in real dollars

Not sure what this has to do with the current conversation. The luxury tax and equalization payments have been in place since 2005. And the equalization payments have nothing to do with the TV deal - that gets distributed regardless, it's the luxury tax payments that get distributed only to non-tax paying teams.

[DanH]

Sounds like an argument for playing above the cap while everyone else is chasing relatively fruitless (KD excepted) space.

That "KD excepted" is a massive exception. The thing to do is chase KD. And if that falls through, to preserve max cap room in 2017 - which means not playing very far above the cap at all this coming summer.

[Raptorsss]

KD, Horford and Batum will all be Raptors next year, it's already decided.

[BS10]

Another reason KD joins our team:

The Thunder unveil their new orange uniforms. pic.twitter.com/HgDbbUeWLl

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) September 25, 2015

Leaving the hideous OKC Jerseys

[mcHAPPY]

When Durant comes to town, no begging, no pleading, no cheering!

Boo the f*ck out of this man!

Boo him haaaard.

Kevin Durant on free agency fan reaction: "I'm not looking for people to lobby me"

"That's something I can't control," Durant said at Media Day on Monday. "I'm not one of those guys looking for praise or looking for people to lobby me or whatever it is. I never look for stuff like that. I just enjoy playing the game of basketball and I enjoy these wonderful (OKC) fans here and I just want to give them the best version of me I can. That's all I can do. I can't control everything else."

http://newsok.com/article/5449945

[A.I]

KD, Horford and Batum will all be Raptors next year, it's already decided.

I doubt we can afford all 3 with Carroll taking big money.

I wouldn't mind a lineup of Lowry, Carroll, KD, Ibaka and JV in 2017 though

[thead]

we should pick a random guy each game and just boo the fuck out of him. I think it would go a long way to confusing the other team

[mcHAPPY]

Yet more reasons:


Raps beat OKC and planted a seed

No Russell Westbrook!

[KeonClark]

Reason #11: Toronto @ OKC 11/4/2015

[A.I]

KD was definitely thinking "This is a damn good team" during the game.

[KeonClark]

KD was definitely thinking "This is a damn good team" during the game.

Lowry-Derozan-Durant-Carroll-Valanciunas

Let other people figure out the cap issues, that team would win titles

[DanH]

Lowry-Derozan-Durant-Carroll-Valanciunas

Let other people figure out the cap issues, that team would win titles

Ross, Patterson, Wright, BeBe, Powell for a sign-and-traded Durant. Works perfectly. Throw in up to three picks if needed (our 2016 and 2017 and the LAC 2017). Still have CoJo, Bruno, the NYK draftee, and ability to re-sign Scola, JJ, Biyombo, Bennett and of course DeMar.

[Wild-ling#1]

Lowry-Derozan-Durant-Carroll-Valanciunas

Let other people figure out the cap issues, that team would win titles

Ross, Patterson, Wright, BeBe, Powell for a sign-and-traded Durant. Works perfectly. Throw in up to three picks if needed (our 2016 and 2017 and the LAC 2017). Still have CoJo, Bruno, the NYK draftee, and ability to re-sign Scola, JJ, Biyombo, Bennett and of course DeMar.

So this came out today, from Demar:



I think Demar tips his hand more clearly than he has allowed himself so far. In spite of himself, poosibly. But if one takes the "the feeling is mutual" thing seriously at all, then it seems that DeMar might be open to the kind of thing Beal is doing for the Wizards. Except that he might go one further and settle for, say, $16M in 2016, while getting his proper "bump" a year later ... so that KD could be offered $20+ off the hop. It means moving Carroll and TRoss and others, I expect ... but isn't that something to hope for? Is is do-able?

[DanH]

So this came out today, from Demar:



I think Demar tips his hand more clearly than he has allowed himself so far. In spite of himself, poosibly. But if one takes the "the feeling is mutual" thing seriously at all, then it seems that DeMar might be open to the kind of thing Beal is doing for the Wizards. Except that he might go one further and settle for, say, $16M in 2016, while getting his proper "bump" a year later ... so that KD could be offered $20+ off the hop. It means moving Carroll and TRoss and others, I expect ... but isn't that something to hope for? Is is do-able?

I think a sign and trade is a long shot, but it is far more likely than finding somewhere to dump 20-25 million in salary without taking any back. DeMar + Durant was unlikely before Ross' extension - now it hinges entirely on a sign and trade.

[Wild-ling#1]

I think a sign and trade is a long shot, but it is far more likely than finding somewhere to dump 20-25 million in salary without taking any back. DeMar + Durant was unlikely before Ross' extension - now it hinges entirely on a sign and trade.

Hmmm .... okay, thanks for that.

Guess I'm both pleased/titillated that
1) Demar, it does now seem, really wants to come back and

2) as such, really might do whatever he can to try to have it that absolutely everyone who's been bickering on the DeRozan thread (with the possible exception of Snooch, of course) gets everything they ever dreamed of next summer.