The New Orleans Pelicans can’t seem to escape the Kevin Durant rumors, even though they already have a roster stacked with talent.
It seems a long shot that the Pelicans would try to trade for Durant unless they can do so using their largess of draft picks and not giving up either Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram.
But when a top-5 player becomes available, you have to do your due diligence, as championship windows close quickly and you can’t turn down the chance to potentially have the most devastating lineup in the entire NBA, which is what the Pels would have with KD.
The rumor mill started churning again yesterday after a report from Brian Windhorst (who has been making the rounds as a meme on Twitter after his Confucian-like breakdown of the Utah situation) who claimed the Pelicans were trying to get Willie Green in a room with Kevin Durant.
You can watch the whole clip here, as Windhorst speculates that the Pels could use their respected head coach to get a feel for KD’s intentions.
Green and Durant have history, as coach Green was an assistant at Golden State when Durant was there and the two reportedly have a strong relationship.
While it might appear Green is being used to sell the New Orleans Pelicans to Kevin Durant, I actually think it’s Durant who will be doing the selling if the two do meet.
New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green selling Kevin Durant and vice versa
This could all just be speculation by Windhorst-rodomus, so I wouldn’t get too worked up about the idea that the Pelicans want Willie Green to meet with Kevin Durant even if it is true.
But if they do meet, Green will obviously be trying to sell the culture the New Orleans Pelicans are trying to build, as well as a possible future for Durant in the Crescent City.
But he’d also be looking for reassurances that Durant is willing to buy into that culture, as the Pels are trying to build a team full of guys who play for the name on the front of their jersey and not the one on the back.
Durant is an all-time talent, there is no doubt, and his basketball skillset would fit on any team, but the Pelicans are also looking for guys to represent the city of New Orleans and who want to buy into the long-term success of the franchise.
Long term and Kevin Durant are not terms you usually see together, as he is now demanding a trade from the Nets after only recently signing a massive extension.
He could do the same thing in New Orleans, which is why they would have to have some assurance that he was actually interested and not just going to be a one-year mercenary before demanding another trade.
Again, I think a Durant trade to New Orleans is an extreme long shot, but there aren’t many other teams with the assets to make a trade that also offer an attractive destination to the star.
But the rumors aren’t going to die until that trade happens, and in the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to explore the options and the Pelicans have trust that Willie Green will be able to read the room.