Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant seemed to take issue with Dan Le Batard’s take on Tyrese Maxey and Tyler Herro.
Le Batard claimed that Herro was better than Maxey, but that he’s just “whiter” than the Philadelphia 76ers guard.
It’s unclear why Le Batard brought race into the comparison, and Durant seemed to be confused by that decision as well. The Phoenix Suns star questioned the take on Twitter on Monday.
One of Maxey or Herro could be a potential piece in a Damian Lililard trade this offseason if the Sixers try to make a run for the Portland Trail Blazers star.
Lillard has made it clear that he’d prefer to be traded to the Miami Heat this offseason, but since he does not have a no-trade clause, the Blazers can technically trade him wherever they desire.
Le Batard thinks that Herro is the best player that the Blazers could get back for Lillard, and the former Sixth Man of the Year has a solid resume in the NBA.
Herro, 23, was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by Miami. During the 2022-23 regular season, he averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc.
He has very comparable numbers to Maxey, who was a first-round selection in the 2020 NBA Draft. Maxey averaged 20.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 43.4 percent from beyond the arc in the 2022-23 season.
Both players would make for a solid building block for a rebuilding team like the Blazers.
Durant ended up deleting his tweet questioning Le Batard’s take, and it’s really strange that the host used that as his reasoning as to why he believes Herro isn’t being valued as highly.
A recent report from a Heat insider predicted that Miami would part ways with significant draft capital (four first-round picks and three pick swaps), Herro, Duncan Robinson and Nikola Jovic in a potential Lillard trade.
That’s a lot to give up, but the Heat may need to do so to ensure that the seven-time All-Star lands in Miami this offseason.