Kevin Durant has three teams on his list of preferred trade destinations, per league sources: San Antonio, Houston and Miami.
The Spurs, league sources say, have been conservative in their pursuit of Durant.
But there has been a material change between then and now, according to league sources.
In February, the Timberwolves negotiated with the Suns under the belief that Durant was open to coming to Minnesota.
But amid their most recent round of talks with Phoenix, the Timberwolves were made aware that he prefers to play elsewhere — specifically, league sources say, the Spurs.
According to league sources, Kevin Durant’s top three trade destinations are Miami, Houston, and San Antonio.
Only those three front offices are able to negotiate with the complete confidence that the 36-year-old, who has one season remaining on his current contract, would be willing to sign an extension after he arrives, as the Phoenix Suns star waits to see where he’s dealt. His situation has captured a lot of the NBA’s attention, even during these extremely entertaining NBA Finals. In turn, this Suns front office and ownership group can legitimately demand more in those specific negotiations since they are so keen to maximize Durant’s return.
Every other player has a very different hand in this card game. That is how it has appeared.
While a lot of attention is still on those three teams—the Suns are reportedly working with Durant and his longtime agent, Rich Kleiman—there is an intriguing fourth team that has the potential to become a serious contender again in the near future: the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Durant’s team has received clear communication from the Suns that they must put the team’s best interest first in any deal. Furthermore, it seems that they are more concerned with acquiring impact players who can contribute right away than they are with giving draft picks priority. The Wolves appear to have options, with Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert at the top of a package that might give the Suns a chance to compete. League sources say the Suns are still holding out hope that Durant will consider the Timberwolves after the Spurs, Rockets, and Heat have all made offers that haven’t worked out thus far.
Team sources stated that if Durant is not in favor of the move, the Timberwolves do not want to drastically alter a roster that made it to the Western Conference finals. Currently, the question is whether Durant will ever accept the idea.
All it takes to see how drastically things can change in a matter of days is a few months of NBA history.
Before being traded to the Bay, Jimmy Butler, a former Heat star, told the Golden State Warriors in February that he was not interested in signing a contract extension. Ironically, Butler wanted to play in Phoenix. Butler changed course and made room for a move to Golden State, where he helped the struggling Warriors get back on track and advance to the second round of the playoffs, after it became clear that the Suns would not be able to make an offer that would have appealed to Miami.
The Suns will continue to search the market for a deal that works for them because, according to league and team sources, the Spurs, Rockets, and Heat have not yet made offers for Durant that are strong enough to entice the Suns to accept.
According to a competitor’s executive, “Phoenix is attempting to generate better offers.”. “”.
DIVE IN FURTHER.
According to what we’re hearing, there are barriers to a potential trade involving Kevin Durant.
According to team sources, the Rockets and Suns have had serious talks about a deal. The offer from Houston is firm, but Phoenix hasn’t been impressed by it up to this point. League sources claim that in their pursuit of Durant, the Spurs have been cautious.
It’s unclear if the Heat have the kind of package or incentive to match Durant with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, even though they would undoubtedly love to do so. It’s reasonable to wonder if veterans like Andrew Wiggins ($28.2 million) and Duncan Robinson ($19.8 million next season) would actually contribute in Phoenix, but a deal with Miami would probably include them.
It was always expected that trading Durant, who has one year left on his contract and will turn 37 before the next season, would be difficult. Other star trades have taken unexpected turns before being finalized, which is why Minnesota should remain in the running for this prize. This is particularly true if the Suns decide to send him somewhere he truly doesn’t want to be in a “rental” capacity after failing to find a compromise that benefits both parties.
Before the February trade deadline, the Wolves and Suns had lengthy talks about a KD trade. In the past few weeks, those talks have been renewed as it became apparent that Phoenix was prepared to make a move. However, league sources claim that a significant change has occurred since then.
The Timberwolves believed Durant was amenable to visiting Minnesota, so they engaged in negotiations with the Suns in February. Anthony Edwards and he are very fond of each other. Tim Connelly, president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves, and Durant both have strong ties to Washington, D.C. are very familiar with each other and the area. With Jaden McDaniels, whose perimeter defense is among the best in the league, Durant could play well offensively and shoulder a lighter defensive burden than he has with the Suns.
However, the Timberwolves learned during their most recent round of negotiations with Phoenix that he would rather play for another team, namely the Spurs, according to league sources.
Generally speaking, some teams are prepared to take a chance and make a move for a player, even if that player indicates that they are not interested in playing in that market. When the San Antonio Spurs made Kawhi Leonard available through a trade in the summer of 2018, the Toronto Raptors famously took a chance. Leonard had communicated his desire to play somewhere else to the Raptors. Before Leonard left for the LA Clippers in free agency the following summer, Toronto made the move anyway, sending the team’s face, DeMar DeRozan, and other pieces to the Spurs. This deal ultimately gave Toronto their first NBA championship. The Raptors, who were led by Kyle Lowry and DeRozan, had only once made it to the conference finals and had qualified for the playoffs five times in a row. In a more competitive conference, the Timberwolves have found greater success in less time.
In the past, the Timberwolves have generally taken into account a player’s preferences when making decisions of this magnitude.
For example, Gobert’s clear indication that he was thrilled to play in Minnesota was a major consideration in Connelly’s decision to make the trade for him three years ago. As he negotiated with the Utah Jazz, Connelly remarked that it wasn’t always simple to find players who wanted to be in Minnesota, and Gobert’s excitement struck a chord with him.
The Wolves have long been a team that players throughout the league would overlook due to their bitterly cold winters, aging arena, and lackluster playoff record before the last few years. Nonetheless, there are indications that things are shifting in Minnesota.
The Timberwolves have a rising star in Edwards, a fantastic front office under Connelly, a capable coaching staff with head coach Chris Finch getting ready for his fifth full season, and a new ownership group ready to take over that wants to aggressively change the team’s image. In contrast to last year, they now have clarity regarding ownership, as Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez will be presenting their cases to the Board of Governors for final approval in the upcoming weeks.
The team’s undisputed face is Edwards, whose charismatic personality garners the majority of attention in Minnesota. This would enable Durant to concentrate on basketball, which he has consistently stated is his preferred activity.
Above all, in recent seasons, the Wolves have become a contender in the Western Conference. They have gone to the conference finals the last two seasons and have qualified for the playoffs four times in a row. KD witnessed the team’s potential firsthand when Edwards and the Wolves defeated his Suns in the opening round of the previous season.
In May, Lakers star LeBron James stated on his “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash, “When you have a guy like Ant who is growing and making that change and you can see him developing more and more, it makes guys want to come there, too.”.
Edwards, who is 23 years old, exudes confidence when discussing his rivals. Rarely does he publicly present flowers to any of his peers. That, in his opinion, is a nonstarter since it acknowledges that they are superior to him. Durant is the one player he frequently makes an exception for. KD’s ability to score and his “I just want to hoop” mentality were idolized by Edwards as a child. At the Olympics in Paris last summer, the two were practically inseparable.
According to him, “That was probably one of the best feelings ever, of my whole life,” when Edwards hit a shot over Durant and yelled at him during their 2024 playoff series.
I believe that everyone in this room is aware that player is my all-time favorite. “”.
Beyond their friendship, Durant has a lot to offer the Timberwolves. Together with McDaniels and, if he re-signs, Naz Reid, they have an outstanding core group of young players. Along with Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham, they have the 17th and 31st picks in the upcoming draft to bolster that group of young talent. Leonard Miller and others as bright futures.
With the Wolves, Durant would have a fantastic opportunity to be a member of a Western-capable team. On a team that had to carry too much of that burden after losing 4-1 in the conference finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder this season and the Dallas Mavericks in 2024, Edwards’ abilities as a forward who creates shots would also be greatly appreciated.
Presumably, the Wolves could also present the Suns with an alluring trade package for a team refusing to dismantle and rebuild. Randle, Gobert, and Donte DiVincenzo are all capable veterans that Minnesota could provide to help the Suns stay competitive in the near future. Randle was instrumental in the team’s playoff victories against the Lakers and Warriors last month, but his predicament is complicated by a player option he has on his contract for the upcoming campaign.
Given Gobert’s importance to Minnesota’s defense, it would be challenging to part with him, so it’s unclear if the Wolves would be willing to do that in order to acquire Durant, particularly if the All-Star is arriving against his will. Considering that the Wolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in the offseason to help balance their bloated cap sheet, having to deal with his contract is another challenging aspect. The Wolves would have to carefully consider giving up some of the financial flexibility acquired in that trade because they assembled a deeper squad that will start the new league year in July and drop below the second apron.
Perhaps all of this will unfold similarly to the Butler story that led to his transfer to Golden State.
The Suns’ refusal to accept an offer from the Rockets, Heat, or Spurs may cause Durant to take a closer look at the situation and change his perspective on Minnesota. It may ultimately make much more sense than he initially believed.
Reporting assistance was provided by Kelly Iko.
