Superstars Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin were mentioned in recent trade rumors, as their future with their respective teams remains questionable heading into the deadline.

Durant could leave Oklahoma City Thunder when he hits free agency this offseason, while Griffin may have caught the ire of Los Angeles Clippers executives after punching an equipment manager.

According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, the Thunder could eventually decide to trade Durant before the deadline on Feb. 18 if they think they cannot retain his services this summer, when the former Most Valuable Player becomes a free agent.

If they are not confident of their chances of keeping Durant, Berger said that the Thunder should make a call to the Clippers about a possible deal involving Griffin.

"If the Thunder are led to believe there's a real chance Durant would leave, their first call should be to the Clippers, whose own problems could present a solution for the Thunder -- and a scenario that certainly would be better than losing Durant for nothing," Berger said.

However, before the deal could get finalized, the Clippers would also require commitment from Durant, who will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and is expected to get offers from several teams. Recent reports indicated that the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards will pursue Durant this summer.

It is worth noting that the Clippers will only approve the Durant-Griffin trade if Durant will agree to sign a long-term contract this summer. And as for Griffin, the Thunder will likely require a long-term commitment as well because the superstar forward holds a player option for the 2017-18 NBA season.

According to Berger, one source close to Griffin told him that it is unsure if Griffin will like playing in Oklahoma City -- his hometown -- because of having too many distractions in the city.

NBA analyst Greg Anthony discussed the possible deal during an interview with Madelyn Burke of Bleacher Report. Anthony said that the Clippers will become a better team if the deal will push through, but the Thunder will not benefit from the deal. He concluded that the Thunder will only make the move if Durant pushes for it.

"That is an unlikely scenario," Anthony said of the Griffin-Durant trade. "I don't see it from a Thunder standpoint unless before the deadline Kevin Durant were to tell them there is now way he is coming back."

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