The Suns have been swept. If they blow it up and the Spurs could get one of their stars, would you pick Kevin Durant or Devin Booker? (Consider contracts, age, experience, and intangibles)
Marilyn Dubinski: Devin Booker is younger and theoretically brings the scoring punch the Spurs need, but he’s also a shoot-first player and is guaranteed over $258 million through 2028. Knowing Victor Wembanyama’s extension is coming up in 2027 and Devin Vassell’s is about to kick in, the Spurs would basically have to commit to those three and no one else in the long term (unless Vassell is part of the trade). As for Durant, despite being eight years older than Booker, he would be a better fit with the Spurs and only has two years remaining, plus Wemby would get to play with his idol. His trade value is also probably lower, so he would be the better of the two, but in reality neither is ideal.
Mark Barrington: I think Father Time finally has KD within range, and while he’s going to play several more years, his peak is behind him. Booker has a lot more career in front of him, and he has the major skill the Spurs are in need of, shooting. I’m also a little wary of Durant’s propensity for taking a hike whenever he gets tired of a place. He’s a Hall of Fame player, but not a Hall of Fame teammate.
Bruno Passos: There’s no team you can’t imagine Durant joining and immediately improving, even at 35. But because he is 35, and because of how valued he still would be by the Suns, spending a lot to pair him with your 20-year-old superstar doesn’t really make sense. At 27, Booker’s age and shift into more of a point guard capacity this season make him one of the better hypothetical fits in the league, in my opinion. It would take a kitchen sink of assets, but he’s probably the type of player the Spurs front office gives a good look at if they sense Phoenix is actively considering a major reset.
: Heat Determined o Rally in Playoff Clash | NBA Playoffs (Dailymotion)
Jesus Gomez: I wouldn’t want my team having Booker as its best player, but he wouldn’t have to be that in San Antonio as long as Victor Wembanyama continues to improve. The pairing could work really well on paper and the fit with Vassell, the only other player in San Antonio’s roster that feels like a core guy, wouldn’t be the worst. Durant is still great and seeing him out there with Wemby would be fantastic, but at this point in his career, he probably wants to contend immediately, and the Spurs are not there yet.
It’s only the first round, but have any young players had their big star-making moment yet? And has any veteran looked officially done so far?
Dubinski: Anthony Edwards has certainly carried his regular season breakout into the postseason so far, trash talk and all. On the converse, his team just swept Kevin Durant’s team out of the first round, and that probably doesn’t happen with any Durant team in his prime. It also appears Kawhi Leonard just can’t stay healthy enough to last through (or even to) the postseason anymore, and Joel Embiid may begin to face similar questions, although under much more scrutiny. His weight is often called into question, as is his propensity to throw himself on the floor, perhaps to his own detriment. He’ll have yet another excuse this year, with the knee issue and dealing with Bell’s Palsy, but at some point he’ll run out of scapegoats, and the question of if it’s just him will arise.
Barrington: Basketball junkies have known that Tyrese Halliburton was good for a while, but he’s embraced being the playoff leader of the young Pacers squad, and his solo drive to win the game in overtime over the Bucks on Friday made the world take notice. The Pacers could make some waves in the Eastern Conference, because they match up well with the Knicks and could make it to the conference finals.
It’s maybe a little unfair to say that Kawhi might be done, because he’s hurt. But the story is that he’s always hurt at this time of the year. The Clippers brought him back for one game and he just didn’t look good, and Los Angeles just looked like a shadow of themselves in game three. They’re only still in the series because of two aging superstars who still can perform at a high level. James Harden looks better than he has in years, and is hitting clutch shots at an amazing rate, and Paul George, who has been very good, except for the one game where he was paired with Kawhi.
Passos: Coming off last year, you can feel the narrative swelling about the league reaching its generational, passing-of-the-torch inflection point. Single-name stars like LeBron, Steph and Durant all flaming out — again — before the 2nd round, as well as guys like Kawhi and Harden getting long in the tooth, will press the NBA to finally lean on fresher faces. And because it’s been allergic to appropriately pushing Nikola Jokic, the league has at least a few more options with the rise and postseason success of guys like Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton, as well as Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum’s established cache. I don’t know if anyone has had that moment this year that augurs a major shift, but the board is set for it in the coming months. If not, there’s another young guy in South Texas who’s already iconic enough to go by one name who will stake his claim soon.
Gomez: Edwards is getting most of the attention, and deservedly so, but there’s another guard who has also made a leap. Jalen Brunson is posting ridiculous numbers and leading his team, basically playing like a top-15 player. He was really good in the last playoffs but so far has been even better and is proving that he can be an elite first option. If he can keep this level of play going forward, he could lead the Knicks to a deep playoff run. As for fading stars, watching Kawhi Leonard play the other night was just sad, and while his injury serves as an excuse, he’s struggled to be healthy for years, so it seems like his stint as a superstar may be over for good.
What do you think of the regular season award winners so far? (6MOY: Naz Reid, MIP: Tyrese Maxey, COY: Mark Daigneault, Clutch Player of the Year: Stephen Curry)
Dubinski: The only one I have any comment on is Steph Curry for Clutch Player of the Year. That seems like more of a “which player do you least want to face in the clutch” pick, not the actual CPOY. To me, that should have been DeMar DeRozan, but ultimately it’s a pretty artificial award, so all I can do is shrug. (At the same time, I’ll be rooting for 4th Quarter Wemby to win it someday.)
Barrington: Those are all good choices. Daigneault is clearly deserving for what he’s done with his young team. Maxey has taken over as the lead guard for a contending team and has been fantastic, and I think Naz earned the award for his work on the Timberwolves. Steph Curry feels a little like a legacy pick, but I’m not sure who else you could pick for the clutch player award, maybe Demar DeRozan? Curry is the only player having a great year on the Warriors, who just aren’t very good this year, so maybe the voters were just letting Steph know that they still loved him?
Passos: Daigneault is a solid COTY, with some other deserving options also on the ballot. He has that Thunder team ahead of schedule and, in particular, playing very high-level defense, which is uncommon with such a young group. I thought Coby White was a better MIP, with how meaningful a change this year has made to his career and in somewhat salvaging what would’ve been a lost Bulls season. I also much prefer Malik Monk over Naz Reid because he was a true sixth man all year and, unlike Reid, didn’t benefit from a major statistical boost in the 14 games he moved into the starting lineup. It’s a silly award given that fluidity but Reid’s choice seems like it’s straying too far away from the spirit of it. Clutch Player of the Year still feels like a fake prize to me and I have zero opinion on it!
Gomez: Daigneault was the best option for COY. The young Thunder securing the first seed while incorporating a rookie into their starting lineup is too impressive to ignore. I love Naz Reid’s game and he’s not a bad choice, but I feel like Malik Monk should have gotten Sixth Man of the Year because he spent the entire season coming off the bench and played a bigger role in the Kings’ success. The jump from up-and-coming player to star is the hardest, so I understand why Maxey got MIP. Coby White going from decent sixth man to rising star as a starter was also a good story. Clutch Player of the Year feels like a silly award to me, so I’m fine with Curry getting it since he is still a legitimately scary guy to go against late in games. I doubt someone as accomplished as Steph will feature the award in his trophy room, though.
