15 ESPN Trade Machine-Approved Deals for Kevin Durant

Anybody can be the victim of a trade rumor.

First, someone of even tenuous authority brings up the possibility of a trade. Next, fans start gossiping about who could possibly be included in such a trade. Then, the final step: ESPN goes overboard with rumors and opens the floodgates for the entirety of the internet to freak out.

In Kevin Durant's case, this whole thing began with Tom Penn, the former Trail Blazers vice president of basketball operations. Mr. Penn made a brief mention on ESPN yesterday that Sam Presti—the current General Manager of the Thunder—might be more likely to trade the current MVP because of Russell Westbrook's recent play. The Internet had a field day, and since the moment those words exited Tom Penn's mouth hot takes have been dropping like hot cakes. Will KD be shipped back to his native DMV? Will OKC hold onto him next season and just pray he resigns? Will Westbrook get moved to keep Kevin happy??

Nobody knows, yet everybody has an opinion.

So to clear up some of the arguments, to add some mathematical validity to a few of the possible trades being thrown around, we've decided to revisit one of our favorite series to bring you 15 ESPN Trade Machine-Approved Deals for Kevin Durant. This offseason could get weird.

Team(s) involved: Wizards

Player(s) involved: Bradley Beal, Marcin Gortat, Kris Humphries

Wins gained: -3

You're never going to get value back when you trade a superstar of Kevin Durant's talent, but you hope to get at least one or two pieces you can build with later. The Wizards are giving up one of those pieces. Bradley Beal may not be Kevin Durant (or John Wall), but he's a young scoring machine with a solid upside. Is he hurt all the time? Sure. But Durant has been hurt a ton, too. Should the Thunder see the writing on the walls and need to move KD before he leaves for nothing, this plus a couple first-rounders might do the trick. Especially if Washington refuses to part with Wall.

Team(s) involved: Sixers

Player(s) involved: Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel

Wins gained: -5

Nobody thought he could do it. Everybody shit all over Sam Hinkie for purposefully tanking the 76ers in order to acquire as many assets as possible. That is, until he turned those assets into the reigning MVP of basketball.

Durant heads to Philly to give Sixers fans their first real star since Iverson, and in exchange for the Slim Reaper OKC gains the rights to budding defensive superstar Nerlens Noel, possible all-around superstar Joel Embiid, and probably like 50-something first and second-round picks. The Sixers have little left in the "tank" after the deal, but getting a superstar is the hard part. Building around him is much easier.

Team(s) involved: Hawks

Player(s) involved: Al Horford, Dennis Schroder, Thabo Sefolosha

Wins gained: -4

Everybody loves the Hawks because they're a pass-first well-oiled assist machine that plays together and doesn't rely on any one player to get them through games. Let's blow all that up. Unlike a lot of teams, the Hawks have the ammo to send a decent offer OKC's way, and here they give up an All-Star center with some years left as well as a defensive wing and an up-and-coming German point guard. Toss in this year's Nets #1 pick and maybe a few others and the KD to ATL deal could be complete.

Team(s) involved: Bulls

Player(s) involved: Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler

Wins gained: -6

Who says no? ...Who says yes? This trade would flip the league. Chicago relieving itself of hometown hero-turned-handicapped parking recipient Derrick Rose and the young, rapidly-rising Jimmy Butler for a proven Top-3 player. The Thunder get Jimmy Butler to pair as Robin to Westbrook's Batman and maybe a really fantastic Derrick Rose to come in off the bench. Could be a win for both teams, Hollinger's hater analysis be damned.

Team(s) involved: Knicks

Player(s) involved: Carmelo Anthony, Tim Hardaway, Jr.

Wins gained: -5

Let's say Kevin Durant wants out, gets seduced by Phil Jackson's zen charms one night, and forces his way to New York. Do you think Carmelo would waive his No Trade Clause to get paired with Russell Westbrook and have a legit shot at a title (AND keep eating the same delicious game checks he was with the Knicks)? Why not? Knicks throw in Tim Hardaway, Jr. because they're the Knicks and they have nothing else to offer, but for a couple years of KD with the hope that Phil can pair him with another great player or two, all parties leave happy.

Team(s) involved: Thunder

Player(s) involved: Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Timofey Mozgov, Nick Collison, Steven Adams

Wins gained: -6

Let's get it out of the way: this trade makes no logical sense for the Cavs. They lose the rim-protecting center that turned their season around in order to add another scorer that they don't need. The Cavs' problems weren't that LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love couldn't score; they were on the interior defense. Trading MozGawd would only make them worse.

Now, having said all that, THEY SHOULD 100% DO THIS OMG LEBRON AND DURANT ON THE COURT AT THE SAME TIME AND KYRIE TOO OMG WOW TOO POWERFUL. Plus we get to see Westbrook and J.R. Swish pair up? Let's do this.

Team(s) involved: Lakers

Player(s) involved: Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle, Nick Collison

Wins gained: -4

This year, the Lakers could be looking at two first-round picks, one of which could be very high in the lottery. Let's say they offered some combination of picks to the Thunder—like four-consecutive first rounds or something like that. It still wouldn't be enough. This would be OKC doing L.A. a favor...something they have no reason to do. Kobe would get one last shot at his Jordan 6God ring with he and Russ growling and snarling their way through 2016, and the Thunder would get a potential commodity in Julius Randle. And, like we said, a billion picks.

Team(s) involved: Clippers

Player(s) involved: Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Enes Kanter

Wins gained: -3

The Thunder might have to throw in a future No. 1 pick (or three) to get Los Angeles to trade away most of the face and all of the identity of their team, but imagine the shooting power of a Paul/Redick/Durant/Hawes/Kanter lineup.

Okay so L.A. loses in this one, and there's no way they'd trade two of their stars, but look at the bright side: The rest of us get to Russell Westbrook team up with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan!

Team(s) involved: Warriors, Sixers

Player(s) involved: Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Jakarr Sampson

Wins gained: -7

It's almost too perfect. The Warriors immediately get into "win now" mode as Klay Thompson's infinite future ceiling is traded for Kevin Durant's dominating present. Since the math doesn't quite work out, we bring the Sixers in to welcome back Andre Iguodala (and absorb his contract) and to lend the services of young Jakarr Sampson, a defensive SG to replace Iggy. Yeah, Random Dude From The Sixers is no Iggy, but Curry/Durant sounds like a championship to us.

Team(s) involved: Timberwolves

Player(s) involved: Nikola Pekovic, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Steven Adams

Wins gained: -4

The Thunder get Wiggins and LaVine to help with the present / secure the future AND add another solid center. The T'Wolves get the MVP. And the MVP gets...to hang out with a depressed Ricky Rubio and lose mad games in Minnesota? Ouch.

Team(s) involved: Heat

Player(s) involved: Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside, Luol Deng

Wins gained: +1

We finally got Hollinger to say the Thunder "won" a trade. Subtracting KD while adding Dragic, everybody's favorite new asshole center Hassan Whiteside, and what's left of Luol Deng equals one more win for OKC. That team would be DEEP.

On the other side, Durant is stuck in a worse version of what LeBron had a few years ago: Old Dwyane Wade, Bosh, and not enough help. And Wade is now even older and this Bosh has serious health problems. At least the Durantula is living in Miami, right?

Team(s) involved: Mavericks

Player(s) involved: Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki

Wins gained: -6

Honestly, we just wanna see Dirk on another team before he's gone. Westbrook/Waiters/Parsons/Nowitzki/Ibaka? Yeah there's nobody to defend the rim, but who cares? That five is just fun. As for Durant, he's left to pray Mark Cuban can resign Rondo.

Team(s) involved: Rockets

Player(s) involved: Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Enes Kanter

Wins gained: -6

Durant and Harden reunite to fight the evil force of Russell Westbrook. Dwight joins Russ to form one hell of a starting five, while the Rockets are left hoping they can out-score all their competition to win. Which, for them, actually isn't that new of a concept. Let's just pray nobody else gets a touch and both KD and Harden average 40 a piece.

Team(s) involved: Bucks

Player(s) involved: O.J. Mayo, Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo

Wins gained: -3

"Give us your future and you get Kevin Durant."

"Okay."

"Deal?"

"Deal."

Team(s) involved: Magic

Player(s) involved: Channing Frye, Victor Oladidpo, Nikola Vucevic

Wins gained: -5

Not the greatest of outcomes for Durant, but the Thunder certainly get a nice little haul in Oladipo and Vucevic. Those two can finally escape whatever funk is keeping them from winning games in Florida to help Russ and Co. win a title. Durant on the other hand has to learn how to make things work with a bunch of kids. If anybody can convince real players to join him in Orlando it's KD, right?