Would the Thunder trade Kevin Durant? One former NBA executive says it could happen.

By Matt Bonesteel March 10 at 10:20 AM

(Mark D. Smith/USA Today Sports)

Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant won’t become a free agent until 2016, but that hasn’t stopped nearly everyone from speculating about where he’ll eventually end up (especially in the DMV, where they really, really want him to play for his hometown Washington Wizards).

But here’s some brand-new speculation, about the possibility of the Thunder trading Kevin Durant next season, before he becomes a free agent. Tom Penn, the former vice president of basketball operations for the Portland Trail Blazers who’s now an ESPN analyst, said Tuesday on ESPN’s “The Herd With Colin Cowherd” that he’s pretty sure it’s going to happen, especially when you consider how good Russell Westbrook has been of late, and how Thunder GM Sam Presti hates seeing players walk away without getting anything in return.

The Big Lead has the transcription of Penn’s remarks:

I think this burst from Westbrook makes it likelier – much more likely – that Durant ultimately gets traded next year. [Colin Cowherd explodes.]

Sam Presti has proven that he does not ever want to lose anybody for nothing. He traded James Harden a year early to avoid a potential luxury tax problem a year later.

The Kevin Durant drumbeat next year is going to be so loud … he will not commit early to OKC because the rules are against that.

If Sam Presti doesn’t that get that commitment, he’ll look to trade Kevin Durant. Looking at the performance of Westbrook and the team around Westbrook will make it easier for him to do that, potentially.

Five days before the Thunder began the 2012-13 season, Presti sent Harden — the reigning NBA sixth man of the year — to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick. The asking price for Durant, the reigning NBA MVP who has battled injuries this season, would be much, much more.

And with Westbrook going absolutely nuts for the Thunder, why wouldn’t Presti consider the large haul he would get in a trade for Durant? Put that way, he would be somewhat foolish not to consider trading Durant.

After spending the first 17 years of his Post career writing and editing, Matt and the printed paper had an amicable divorce in 2014. He's now blogging and editing for the Early Lead and the Post's other Web-based products.