What if KD's sneaker were smaller? An alternate timeline with new champs and wild trades
Zach KramMar 10, 2026, 07:00 AM ET Close Zach Kram is a national NBA writer for ESPN.com, specializing in short- and long-term trends across the league’s analytics landscape. He previously worked at The Ringer covering the NBA and MLB. You can follow Zach on X via @zachkram. Multiple Authors Kevin Durant‘s career arc is littered…
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Zach Kram
Multiple Authors
Kevin Durant‘s career arc is littered with what-ifs. What if the Portland Trail Blazers had selected him first in the 2007 draft instead of Greg Oden? What if the Seattle SuperSonics hadn’t moved after Durant’s rookie season? What if the Oklahoma City Thunder hadn’t traded James Harden after making the Finals? What if Durant hadn’t signed with the 73-win Golden State Warriors? What if he hadn’t ruptured his Achilles in the 2019 Finals?
Durant hasn’t returned to the conference finals since that injury and his subsequent departure from Golden State. But he has continued to reach milestones in the meantime: Earlier this season, the 37-year-old Durant passed Wilt Chamberlain and Dirk Nowitzki to move into sixth place on the career scoring leaderboard, and fifth-place Michael Jordan is only 158 points away.
There’s an additional, more recent what-if on the long list of hinge points in Durant’s career. Five years ago this spring, trailing by two points in Game 7 of the Brooklyn Nets‘ second-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Durant made a 23-foot turnaround jumper with his foot on the 3-point line and one second left. Durant was playing without injured teammate Kyrie Irving and was sharing the floor with a compromised Harden, who was dealing with a hamstring injury. Durant never rested in Game 7 and scored 48 points. But after his jumper tied the score, the Bucks won in overtime, en route to raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy a month later.
But what if Durant’s foot hadn’t touched the line? What if he wore properly sized sneakers instead of going one size too big, and what if his turnaround had been worth three points and clinched a dramatic victory for Brooklyn?
In reality, Durant, Harden and Irving played only two more games together as teammates. By Feb. 9, 2023, they were no longer on the Nets.
In this alternate reality, though, which I’m dubbing the Nets Championship Universe, or NCU for short, Durant’s shot wins the game, setting off a series of ripple effects that change the direction of not only the Nets but the rest of the NBA. Here are the 17 wildest differences, in chronological order.
1. The Nets win the 2020-21 title
After surviving the final second of Game 7 against Milwaukee, the Nets move on to face a surprising conference finalist: the Atlanta Hawks, who, in reality, upset the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in their own seven-game series. The Nets are heavy favorites in this series, as Atlanta was only 41-31 (the equivalent of a 47-35 record in a full season) with a plus-2.2 net rating in 2020-21 — both weak marks for a potential finalist.
Brooklyn advances to face a greater challenge in the Finals. Led by the backcourt duo of Devin Booker and Chris Paul, the 2020-21 Phoenix Suns were 51-21 (the equivalent of 58-24) and mostly cruised through the Western Conference playoffs, albeit aided by injuries to opposing stars Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray and Kawhi Leonard.
Yet, Brooklyn was 2-0 against Phoenix in the regular season, even though the Suns were at full strength in both games, and Harden, Irving and Durant missed one game apiece. By the Finals, moreover, Harden and Irving are healthier than they were in the second round against the Bucks, giving the Nets the advantage. After six games, Brooklyn wins the first NBA title in franchise history.
2. Durant and Harden cement their legacies
No players’ reputations change in the NCU more than Durant’s and Harden’s. Debates have long raged about how much credit Durant should receive for his two NBA titles and Finals MVP awards because he joined a juggernaut in Golden State. But there is no doubt that he deserves full plaudits for this title in Brooklyn, as he drags a star-studded but injury-ravaged team to the promised land.
Durant also becomes only the sixth player in NBA history to receive three Finals MVP awards, and he joins Leonard, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players to be named Finals MVP on multiple teams.
And finally, the Nets’ eventual title means that Durant’s series winner against Milwaukee becomes one of the more famous shots in NBA history. According to Basketball Reference, there have been only two true buzzer-beaters in a winner-take-all playoff game, and both are memorable: Leonard’s four-bouncer in 2019 and Michael Jordan’s shot over Craig Ehlo in 1989. Granted, Durant’s shot against the Bucks came with one second left, so it wasn’t a true buzzer-beater, but it’s darn close.
Kawhi Leonard BOUNCES IN the game 7 #TissotBuzzerBeater to send the @Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals! #WeTheNorth
🚨: GSW/TOR, Game 1
⏰: 9:00pm/et – Thursday, 5/30
🇺🇸: ABC 🇨🇦: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/7ELt2ITmSv— NBA (@NBA) May 28, 2019
Harden, meanwhile, sheds his stigma as a playoff choker, not only winning a title but gutting out a championship run despite a hamstring strain that clearly limits his burst when he's able to play.
And to a lesser extent, the Nets' triumph also serves as vindication for coach Steve Nash, who finally wins the title that long eluded him during his Hall of Fame playing career.
In reality, Nash and the Nets parted ways after just 93 more games following Durant's foot-on-the-line shot.
3. Team USA loses at the Olympics
The 2020-21 postseason extended through mid-July because of COVID-induced schedule changes, so it ran up against the start of the Summer Olympics, which were delayed a year due to the pandemic.
In reality, Durant didn't commit to play for Team USA until after the Nets' elimination against Milwaukee, while Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Booker shared a private plane ride to Tokyo shortly after the conclusion of the 2021 Finals to arrive on time.
But in the NCU, Durant doesn't join Booker on the flight to Japan. Instead, with such a quick turnaround after taking on a heavy playoff burden in his first season back from injury, Durant declines his Olympic invitation. This is a bruising blow for an American roster more populated with strong role players than top-tier stars.
In reality, Durant led Team USA in points (20.7 per game) and ranked second in rebounds (5.3) and assists (3.7). He was named tournament MVP after leading all players with 29 points in the gold medal game. Even with that Durant performance, the Americans struggled to stave off France, which had already upset Team USA in group play, and won 87-82 to take home the gold.
In the NCU, however, Durant isn't in Tokyo to save Team USA from disaster, and France wins its first gold medal in basketball. Center Rudy Gobert -- the only Frenchman to be named to the all-tournament team in reality -- claims MVP honors.
In reality, Gobert's national star fell so far that he was benched at the 2024 Games in Paris. But in this alternate universe, he becomes a French national hero.
4. Harden never requests a trade out of Brooklyn
The real-life Nets never won a playoff series after their Game 7 loss against the Bucks. The 2021-22 season was a nightmare from the start, with Irving missing every home game because he refused to comply with New York City's vaccine requirements, and Harden pushing for a trade to Philadelphia.
But in the NCU, Harden doesn't sour on playing for the defending champions. The Nets aren't great without a full-time Irving -- in reality, they were only 29-22 and in sixth place in the East when Harden played his last game for the team -- but they stick together until the playoffs.
This also means that the funniest moment in the short-lived history of the All-Star draft, when Durant refused to draft Harden after his trade demand, as an increasingly tickled LeBron James hid behind a clipboard and the "Inside the NBA" crew egged them on, never happens.
"He got traded, he's healthy now!"
LeBron James couldn't keep it together after Kevin Durant made Rudy Gobert his last pick over James Harden during the NBA All-Star draft 😂 pic.twitter.com/RLzjKb8K6N
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) February 11, 2022
Harden's stability in Brooklyn is a problem for Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, who needs to find a worthy trade partner for Ben Simmons.
In reality, Morey held out for a chance to reunite with the star guard he had first acquired in Houston; Harden eventually angled for a trade, and the Nets acquiesced to a Harden-for-Simmons swap.
That's not an option in the NCU. Instead, Morey grudgingly accepts an offer to trade Simmons for a different point guard: Tyrese Haliburton, who, according to contemporary reports, had been available in a potential Simmons deal.
So, the NCU's ripple effects start to widen beyond Brooklyn: Simmons heads to Sacramento, and the 76ers form a young backcourt duo of Tyreses, with Haliburton and Maxey.
6. The Bucks trade for Myles Turner at the 2022 deadline
Two NCU strands weave together to produce a Turner trade. First, the Bucks are desperate to win with Giannis Antetokounmpo; they already blew a 2-0 lead in the conference finals in 2019 and lost as the No. 1 seed in the second round in 2020, and now they've lost to an injury-ravaged Nets squad in the second round in 2021. And they could really use a center, as Brook Lopez was limited to 13 games in the 2021-22 season because of back surgery.
Second, the Pacers still have to resolve their center logjam, with no Haliburton-for-Domantas Sabonis swap available once Haliburton heads to Philadelphia. So, instead of trading Sabonis, the Pacers finally pull the trigger on a long-rumored Turner deal, and the stretch big joins the Bucks three years before he did in reality.
But because Middleton sprained his knee in the playoffs, Turner's addition isn't enough to push Milwaukee past the surging Boston Celtics, who beat the Nets in the postseason (though not in a sweep, as they did in reality) before falling to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals, a result that doesn't change in the NCU. The Bucks fail in the playoffs yet again. Which leads to ...
7. The Knicks trade for Antetokounmpo in July 2022
In the NCU, Antetokounmpo has had enough. The two-time MVP is now 27 years old and eager to win, but he still hasn't reached the Finals, and Milwaukee, which has traded all its picks for Holiday and Turner in consecutive seasons, has no more cards left to play. The time has come to trade the NBA's biggest star in his prime.
In a summer of blockbusters -- the Timberwolves still trade for Gobert, and the Cavaliers still trade for Donovan Mitchell in the NCU -- the biggest involves Antetokounmpo, who heads to New York for a package headlined by Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and a boatload of picks.
In reality, the Knicks used those assets to acquire OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, but New York combines them in the NCU for a player who immediately becomes the Knicks' brightest star in half a century.
Antetokounmpo has a documented interest in being traded to and playing for the Knicks, and in advance of the 2022-23 season, he joins new Knick Jalen Brunson and prepares to shine on the sport's biggest stage.
8. The Lakers trade for Irving
Fast-forward to the 2022-23 trade deadline, and Irving also wants out. In reality, a five-game suspension due to a controversial social media post and the lack of a contract extension from the Nets soured Irving on the organization, and that sequence plays out in the NCU, as well.
At the time in reality, the Lakers were in heavy pursuit of the star guard, reportedly offering two first-round picks and Russell Westbrook's expiring contract for Irving. But the Nets requested "young players such as Austin Reaves and Max Christie and pick swaps" as well, so the Lakers declined, and Brooklyn sent Irving to the Mavericks instead.
But in the NCU, Irving's trade value is higher because he's a two-time champion, and the Lakers are willing to meet Brooklyn partway. They agree to add Christie to the deal, and Irving reunites with LeBron James on the Lakers rather than joining Luka Doncic in Dallas.
9. Westbrook, Durant and Harden reunite in Brooklyn
Meanwhile, on the other end of the Irving blockbuster, Westbrook becomes a Net after a disastrous tenure in Los Angeles. And 11 years after the shocking trade that moved Harden out of Oklahoma City, with the three former Thunder youngsters all now in their mid-30s, Westbrook, Durant and Harden reunite.
With Harden still on his team, moreover, Durant doesn't request a trade once Irving leaves, and he remains a Net through the end of the season.
10. The 76ers reach the 2023 conference finals
By the 2023 postseason, the Eastern Conference landscape looks a lot different in the NCU than in reality.
In reality, the Bucks grabbed the No. 1 seed but suffered an upset loss to the Miami Heat, and the second-seeded Celtics escaped Harden, Joel Embiid and the third-seeded 76ers in the second round. Harden had moments of brilliance against Boston, but in Games 6 and 7, he scored 22 combined points with 10 turnovers while shooting 7-for-27.
In the NCU, the bracket shakes out differently. Without Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee tumbles in the standings, so Boston lands the No. 1 seed, and Philadelphia finishes second. The Nets' new big 3 grabs the No. 3 seed, and the Knicks, who finished fifth in reality, are No. 4 with Antetokounmpo. (Randle was very good in 2022-23, nabbing a third-team All-NBA spot, while Antetokounmpo missed 19 games because of injury. Advanced stats estimate only a small difference in their value in that regular season.)
That bracket sets up a scintillating second-round matchup between Philadelphia and Brooklyn, and Haliburton's clutch gene -- which he displayed with dramatic flair over the past two real-life postseasons -- helps Philadelphia advance. The Process reaches a new milestone as the 76ers advance to their first conference finals since 2001.
11. Nikola Jokic's Nuggets beat Antetokounmpo's Knicks in the 2023 Finals
On the other side of the Eastern Conference bracket, the Knicks and Antetokounmpo win in the first round, then upset the Celtics -- who looked rickety in the real 2023 postseason, struggling to beat the 41-41 Hawks and 76ers before losing to the eighth-seeded Heat -- to reach their first conference finals since 2000.
It's a matchup out of TV executives' dreams: New York vs. Philadelphia, a battle of two historic franchises yearning for their first Finals trip in decades; and Antetokounmpo vs. Embiid, a matchup between two charismatic MVPs without a Finals appearance.
Antetokounmpo and the Knicks emerge victorious, setting up another MVP vs. MVP clash in the Finals. But they can't win another round. Jokic's Denver Nuggets coasted through the real-life 2022-23 postseason, and that dominance extends to the NCU -- even though three of their opponents in reality (the Suns with Durant, the Lakers without Irving and the Heat instead of the Knicks) look very different in this alternate universe.
"The job is done, we can go home now." 😅
Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets complete the mission of bringing the 2022-23 NBA Championship to Denver! pic.twitter.com/Af9nOROEfz
— NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2023
New Suns owner Mat Ishbia is eager to make a splash. In reality, he satisfied that urge right away, pushing for a trade for Durant within 24 hours of assuming team ownership. But with Durant still content in Brooklyn in the NCU, Ishbia has to hold off until his first summer as an owner.
He then targets Lillard, who, in reality, was the biggest star available in the 2023 offseason after requesting a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard is also a much more dynamic backcourt partner for Booker than Bradley Beal, whom the team acquired that summer in reality. Meanwhile, the Giannis-less Bucks have no reason to trade for Lillard, and the Heat are interested -- more so than in reality because they didn't make a miracle run to the 2023 Finals in the NCU -- but don't have the assets to beat a blockbuster Suns offer.
The Suns were already part of the three-team Lillard trade in reality; in the NCU, they simplify it to a two-teamer and acquire the future Hall of Famer from Portland.
13. Minnesota reaches its first NBA Finals
Let's jump ahead to the end of the 2023-24 season. Even with Antetokounmpo's Knicks pushing for a repeat Finals appearance, and with the two Tyreses and an injury-prone Embiid leading Philadelphia, the Celtics run roughshod over the conference, as they did in reality.
But the Western Conference is a different story. Without Irving by his side, Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks can't replicate their real-life run to the Finals, and they're replaced by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who lost in the conference finals in reality. With Anthony Edwards, Towns and a better-respected Gobert leading the way, the Timberwolves reach the first Finals in franchise history and compete in an all-time classic against the Celtics.
In reality, Minnesota and Boston met twice in the 2023-24 regular season, and both games went to overtime. They play seven back-and-forth games in the Finals in the NCU, and Kevin Garnett becomes an internet sensation with his reaction videos.
The following summer, moreover, the Timberwolves retain Towns instead of sending him to New York in a surprise trade. They're happy to keep the former No. 1 pick after a Finals run, and the Knicks have already made their big trade for Antetokounmpo.
None of the key participants in Durant's shot played for Minnesota. But that one small moment ripples into a great wave for the land of 10,000 lakes.
14. The Lakers add Nick Nurse ... but not Luka Doncic
Similarly large changes affect the team still named for all those lakes. In reality, the Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham after the 2023-24 season, and they follow that path in the NCU after his failure to reach the Finals with the James-Irving-Davis trio. The Lakers get their first-choice replacement in Nurse, whom they had targeted for a previous opening.
In reality, Nurse was unavailable because he replaced Doc Rivers in Philadelphia a year earlier, but in the NCU, the 76ers' conference finals run saved Rivers' job.
Meanwhile, JJ Redick remains a prolific commentator, podcast host and media figure.
Half a year later, moreover, the biggest alteration is a move the Lakers don't execute. Consider what the Lakers sent to Dallas in return for Doncic, in addition to star center Davis: Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. But in the NCU, the Lakers already traded Christie and the pick to Brooklyn in the Irving deal.
Thus, the NCU offers a fascinating -- if still painful -- alternate path for Mavericks fans. On the one hand, they miss out on Irving and a run to the 2024 Finals, but on the other hand, if only Durant's foot is behind the line in 2021, then a butterfly flaps its wings and five years later, Doncic remains a Maverick because the most shocking trade in NBA history never happens.
"When I got a call, I had to check if it was April 1st. I didn't really believe it at first."
-Luka on when he got the call he was being traded pic.twitter.com/4IoVZt8mTK
— ESPN (@espn) February 4, 2025
15. The Pacers never make the Finals
Neither does Indiana's shocking run to the 2025 Finals. It's hard to say how Indiana's stretch from 2022 to 2025 would have gone with Sabonis, but without Haliburton and Turner. But it's safe to say that without Haliburton as their engine, the Pacers don't have the firepower to get past the Giannis-led Knicks or Mitchell-led Cavaliers in the playoffs. (In reality, they beat New York and Cleveland en route to the Finals.)
16. The Kings' playoff drought continues
Similarly, the Kings' NCU fortunes falter. In reality, even if the Pacers won the Haliburton-Sabonis trade, Sabonis still made consecutive All-NBA teams in Sacramento and led the team to the playoffs in 2023, the Kings' first postseason appearance since 2006.
Suffice it to say, Ben Simmons does not have that sort of impact. In the NCU, the Kings' playoff drought is in its 20th season, and the concept of "Light the beam!" hasn't entered the national NBA consciousness.
Finally, the NCU's most recent pivotal change comes at the end of the 2024-25 schedule. In reality, the Mavericks and Bulls both finished the season at 39-43, and Dallas won a tiebreaker drawing to secure the lottery position the Mavs would eventually parlay into the No. 1 pick.
But with Doncic still in town, the Mavericks finish with a winning record in the NCU, so the Bulls are free to finish in the lucky lottery spot. In 2008, when they drafted Derrick Rose, Chicago jumped up to the No. 1 pick with 1.7% lottery odds; in the 2025 NCU, the Bulls leap up and grab Flagg despite having 1.8% odds.
Flagg is just the latest star player to change teams as a result of the butterfly effect of Durant's foot touching the line in 2021. In the NCU, that tiny tweak changes the Finals matchups in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025; changes the trajectories of numerous unconnected franchises; and changes where more than a dozen future Hall of Fame candidates are playing in 2025-26.
All because of one oversized sneaker and an extra inch.
