A new contender has reportedly emerged in the Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Grizzlies have "made new inquiries to the Nets about Durant," who, on Aug. 8, reportedly reiterated the trade request he first made in late June.
While training camps for the 2022-23 season are set to open in the coming month, there does not appear to be any significant movement that suggests an imminent trade for Durant.
The Grizzlies, who finished with the league's second-best record last season, have a bevy of young talent and a corral of future draft picks that they could part ways with in a hypothetical Durant trade.
Any trade involving Durant is worthy of intrigue, but a deal with Memphis would be interesting in more ways than one. In addition to lifting the Grizzlies into the realm of being a legitimate title favorite, Durant would also add more intrigue to one of the NBA's newest — and most entertaining — rivalries.
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How Kevin Durant trade rumors impact NBA's best rivalry
After the Grizzlies burst onto the scene during the 2021-22 season, it didn't take long for them to establish a rivalry with the Warriors.
Is anyone really surprised?
Memphis has a fearless, up-and-coming group that isn't afraid to talk and back up their words while they're on the floor. Golden State, on the other hand, is an established team that doesn't mind the talk, but the wily veterans let the process play out before dishing it back.
"After Game 1 he (Steph Curry) came to me and Jaren and said it's going to be a battle, we going to have some fun...I was able to return that message tonight saying the same thing"@JaMorant on his conversation with Steph Curry after Game 1 and his performance in Game 2. pic.twitter.com/wRFVlrsXOW
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2022
During their run to the 2022 title, the Warriors made sure to dish it back, with Klay Thompson calling out Jaren Jackson Jr. and Draymond Green and Ja Morant engaging in a back-and-forth on Twitter. (All in good spirit, of course.)
As a result, the two teams will be meeting on Christmas and during the NBA's Rivals Week in the upcoming season. Each of those games is worth circling on your calendar without Durant involved. Now, imagine if the Grizzlies did add Durant to the mix.
Although years have passed since Durant left the Warriors as a free agent, the year-long lead-up to his exit has been a subplot for all parties involved over the last three seasons.
With Durant in the Eastern Conference, he's only faced his old teammates three times since leaving The Bay. Put Durant on one of the West's top teams, and you have a timeline in which he could meet the Warriors up to 11 times in one season. It's easy to make nice during two annual meetings, but line these competitors up 11 times in one year and you can guarantee that things would get spirited.
And we haven't even talked about how good the Grizzlies would be with Durant.
According to Charania, the Grizzlies "so far do not appear inclined to include Jaren Jackson Jr. or Desmond Bane in a potential offer," a fact that likely has to change in order for these trade talks to gain any type of traction. Whether or not it's Jackson, Bane, or both, the deal still results in a pairing of Durant and Morant, a duo that would immediately have a stake at the claim of being the best duo in the league.
Kevin Durant says he sees Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose in the game of Ja Morant:
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) March 22, 2022
"His future is obviously bright. He makes everybody playing against him - even opponents" pic.twitter.com/VQLSBGr8Sp
It's unclear whether or not the current iteration of the Grizzlies reached its ceiling last year, but the addition of Durant would elevate Memphis to a team capable of immediately winning a championship — its roster has a number of players that would excel in roles that complement the duo.
While Durant will be 34 this season, joining a team like the Grizzlies would extend his career — and title window — and give him an opportunity to put an end to Golden State's title window.
At the end of the day, getting that kind of last laugh is what the spirit of competition in rivalries is all about.
