The San Antonio Spurs are being linked to Kevin Durant, a player Gregg Popovich has long admired.
The San Antonio Spurs, this summer, have found themselves at the center of NBA trade rumors involving Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cameron Johnson, and Lauri Markkanen.
The most realistic target for the Spurs is Durant, who seems focused on finding his way to San Antonio. However, the Phoenix Suns have reportedly rejected offers from both the Spurs and Houston Rockets, and San Antonio might not be willing to meet the Suns’ asking price.
However, in the not-so-distant past, legendary head coach Gregg Popovich “begged” for Durant to join his team.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesDurant and Popovich made waves at the Olympics
In 2019, during his first year as the head coach of Team USA, Popovich and the Americans failed to medal in the FIBA World Cup in an embarrassing showing. Popovich’s 2019 roster was devoid of established NBA superstars, although they were still heavy favorites in the tournament.
Licking their wounds, Team USA assembled a much better cast of players in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (played in 2021), with Durant being a key player.
Durant played in only 35 games the season prior due to an Achilles injury, but he was still Team USA’s best player as they captured Olympic gold.
Durant readily agreed to play under Popovich in the Olympics, and Pop did not hold back when explaining how important he was to their gold medal efforts.
“If he said no, I would have begged, cried, done anything I could to change his mind,” Popovich said in 2021. “He loves the game, he really loves to play basketball, he loves to win, he loves the camaraderie, he wants to be part of this.”
The Spurs have the assets to easily pull off a trade for Durant this summer, which would certainly please the scoring forward, although, according to reporter Don Harris, the Spurs’ interest in KD is “lukewarm” at best.
Popovich still pulls strings in San Antonio
At the emotional press conference where Popovich announced his retirement from coaching, he revealed that he would transition to become “El Jefe,” the boss, and would continue to serve as President of Basketball Operations.
Between CEO RC Buford, general manager Brian Wright, head coach Mitch Johnson, and Popovich, the Spurs have a room full of qualified decision-makers.
The choice to add Durant to Team USA was simple: which players would help the Americans win now?
The choice for the Spurs is not as simple as they are looking at a longer timeline of competition that goes far beyond a single summer.
In a vacuum, Durant in 2021 was an excellent addition, and Durant in 2025 would be excellent, as well. However, the Spurs are not operating in a vacuum and would have to sacrifice plenty of promising future assets for an aging star.
Popovich wanted Durant in the past, and he certainly has the leverage to get him to town now, although the priorities are vastly different.