Kevin Durant was blindsided when the Phoenix Suns attempted to trade him to the Golden State Warriors at the deadline. He ultimately made it clear that he was not interested in returning to the team with whom he won two championships, and all of the reporting since then has suggested that Durant and the Suns are expected to work together to find a possible trade this offseason now that it has become clear that Phoenix is not in a position to contend for a championship.
One of the major questions heading into Phoenix’s rapidly approaching offseason is which teams might make sense for the future Hall of Famer. Mutual interest existed between Durant and five teams at the deadline, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who appeared on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday: the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
The Heat seemingly had the inside track on Durant at the deadline because, at that time, they still had Jimmy Butler. The Suns had been trying to trade for Butler for months, so, in theory, Miami could have constructed a package built around Butler for Durant. They ultimately elected instead to trade Butler to the Golden State Warriors, seemingly viewing a Durant acquisition as too expensive at the time. That is a concept they could revisit in the offseason.
The Knicks were widely linked to Durant in 2019, when he became a free agent and signed with the Brooklyn Nets. An acquisition today would be more complicated, as the Knicks spent the majority of their draft capital landing Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. They could build a deal around existing players if the Suns want to try to win now, but it’s unclear how much New York would be willing to sacrifice from a core that is in the middle of one of the best seasons the Knicks have had this century. The postseason will likely dictate how much interest the Knicks have over the summer.
Minnesota is appealing for Durant because of his relationship with Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards. The two were Olympic teammates in Paris last summer, and Edwards grew up idolizing Durant. Minnesota just changed ownership from Glen Taylor to Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, and general manager Tim Connelly has an opt-out in his contract, so their interest will likely depend on the opinions of whoever is running the team in June and July. Between Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, Donte DiVincenzo and Rob Dillingham, Minnesota has a number of players that might appeal to Phoenix.
The Spurs already made one big splash by acquiring De’Aaron Fox at the deadline, but San Antonio has accumulated so many assets in recent years that the front office easily has what it needs to take a swing at Durant. The question for the Spurs is more about timing. They are still one of the NBA’s youngest teams, and Victor Wembanyama has been sidelined this season due to a blood clot. How much would the Spurs be willing to sacrifice for what might be a brief window with Durant when those assets could be used to maximize Wembanyama’s prime?
The Rockets have been attached to both Durant and Devin Booker in the past and, to an extent, they have the power to control these proceedings. Houston controls Phoenix’s first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, so if the Suns want to rebuild, their path to doing so goes through Houston. That gives the Rockets the inside track on Durant if they want it, but it also means Houston could hold out and wait for the younger Booker to become available.
The postseason will ultimately go a long way in determining what sort of market Durant has as a trade candidate. Some of these teams are already out of the playoff race. Others will need to see how far they go before determining how interested they are, while teams we aren’t discussing yet could surprise in the playoffs and decide to take a run at the 2014 MVP themselves. It’s too early to say how this will play out, but before Phoenix’s season has even ended, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that a major shakeup is coming over the summer.
