Let the games begin! With less than three weeks until the start of NBA free agency, and less than two until the 2025 NBA draft, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Wednesday that Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns had met several times to sift through possible trade scenarios, with the discussions primarily centering around the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told ESPN.
Several wildcard teams are still in the mix, sources said.
With that, we asked five NBA insiders (Chris Herring, Zach Kram, Dave McMenamin, Kevin Pelton and André Snellings) to propose realistic trades for the two-time Finals MVP, then had front office insider Bobby Marks evaluate the deals and pick the best offer, based on the directions Phoenix could choose as the franchise looks to reshape its expensive, underperforming and top-heavy roster.
Latest on Durant's future
Durant is set to enter the last year of a four-year, $198 million extension he signed in Brooklyn. And while he does not have a no-trade clause like Suns teammate Bradley Beal, Durant holds leverage on where his next home will be.
"I want my career to end on my terms, that's the only thing," Durant said on "The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis" last month. "That's the only thing I'm worried about. 'Cause I see a lot of dudes that don't get that opportunity, so I want to keep putting in that work to make that choice on my own."
Two factors will play a role if a trade materializes. The first: Is Durant willing to sign a two-year, $112 million extension with the team trading for him? And because Durant can be a free agent in 2026, it is unlikely a team trades draft capital and players for a one-year rental. The free agent landscape of teams with projected cap space is expected to increase from one this summer to nearly half the teams in 2026.
The second, and most important: Is the team that trades for Durant still in position to compete for a championship? At age 36, his next team will likely be his last opportunity to add a third ring. -- Marks
Jump to a trade:
HOU | MIA | MIN | NYK | SAS
Wild-card team
Four hypothetical trade offers for KD
Houston Rockets
Kram's trade offer:
Rockets get: Kevin Durant
Suns get: Dillon Brooks, Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore, Jock Landale, 2025 and 2027 first-round picks (via Phoenix; the 2025 first is conveyed after the May draft lottery)
Why it makes sense for both sides
The Rockets are a natural trade partner for the Suns for two main reasons. First, Durant slots neatly into Houston's largest hole. Thanks to a shiny young core and ferocious defense, the Rockets are rising in the West. But they lack the go-to scorer required to lead a contender and rank just 25th in half-court offense this season, per Cleaning the Glass.
Even at 36, Durant would represent a major improvement in this area. He has a higher usage rate and much better true shooting percentage than any player in Houston's rotation.
Second, the Rockets control Phoenix's draft picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029, which the Suns had initially sent to Brooklyn when they traded for Durant. Reacquiring some or all of those picks would bring Phoenix's Durant era full circle and also allow the team to make whatever future moves it desired without worrying about the potential loss of lottery picks.
In the meantime, this return could also help Phoenix put together a competitive roster around Devin Booker and avoid a full rebuild. Brooks is a useful 3-and-D wing on a declining contract who could plug one hole in the Suns' porous perimeter defense. Sheppard hasn't found his footing in his rookie season in Houston, but the No. 3 pick offers more upside than any player on Phoenix's roster. So too does Whitmore, an occasionally electric scorer (career 22 points per 36 minutes) who hasn't checked enough other boxes to earn more of coach Ime Udoka's trust.
Phoenix would acquire the young talent and picks it is missing, while Houston would upgrade from Brooks to Durant without sacrificing anyone else from its current core. That seems like a win-win deal.
Miami Heat
Pelton's trade offer:
Heat get: Kevin Durant
Suns get: Nikola Jovic, Andrew Wiggins, 2025 first-round pick (via Golden State), 2030 first-round pick (via Miami), 2026 second-round pick (via Los Angeles Lakers)
Nets get: Duncan Robinson, Keshad Johnson, 2029 first-round swap (top-4 protected), 2031 first-round swap (top-4 protected), 2031 second-round pick (via better of Indiana and Miami)
Why it makes sense for both sides
If the other offers here actually come in for Durant, the Heat don't realistically stand a chance. Miami doesn't have premium draft picks or young prospects to offer and must send out more salary than Durant's $53.3 million for 2025-26 to avoid a hard cap at the lower luxury tax apron, necessitating sending some of the pick value to the Nets to take Robinson's $19.9 million salary into cap space. (Some $10 million of Robinson's 2025-26 contract is non-guaranteed, but the Heat would have to guarantee it in order to count fully as outgoing salary in trade.)
Instead, Miami has to hope that Dallas decides not to sacrifice massive amounts of depth for a Durant pursuit and Houston prefers to wait for a younger star player (say, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Booker) who better fits the team's timetable.
In that scenario, the Heat can check multiple boxes for the Suns. This trade cuts about $20 million from Phoenix's 2025-26 payroll, which the Suns could either reinvest in a center or simply take as enormous luxury tax savings. Getting Wiggins, who has bounced back this season as an above-average starter, and Jovic improves Phoenix's forward depth. And the Suns end up with both the first-round pick the Warriors sent Miami in the Jimmy Butler trade and a valuable unprotected draft pick in 2030 to replenish the team's coffers.
Minnesota Timberwolves
McMenamin's trade offer:
Wolves get: Kevin Durant
Suns get: Rudy Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, Rob Dillingham
Why it makes sense for both sides
The Wolves already made a run at Durant leading up to the trade deadline, sources told ESPN, with Minnesota president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, trying to land Anthony Edwards' idol to diversify his team's offense.
Months later, without Durant, the Wolves bowed out of the Western Conference finals after being suffocated by the Oklahoma City Thunder's staunch defense. They scored 103 points or fewer in three of their four losses in the series.
A scoring core of Edwards, Durant and Julius Randle would present problems, even for a defense as locked in as Oklahoma City, and Naz Reid has already closed at center over Gobert plenty of times as is.
The Suns would get a four-time Defensive Player of the Year in Gobert for new coach Jordan Ott to anchor his defense around after Phoenix finished 27th in team defensive rating last season under Mike Budenholzer. Not to mention, two young guards on cost-friendly deals (DiVincenzo is owed $12 million next season; Dillingham is owed $6.6 million) that can elevate the Suns' offense around Devin Booker.
The deal could be tweaked to include Mike Conley (on a $10.8 million expiring contract) in place of DiVincenzo and draft assets instead if the Wolves prioritized production over locker room presence, figuring Conley's best days are behind him. And Conley would be an immediate ally for Ott as a culture setter as the Suns try to build back to respectability after two straight disappointing seasons that made their 2021 Finals berth seem like a distant memory.
New York Knicks
Snellings' trade offer:
Knicks get: Kevin Durant
Suns get: OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson
Why it makes sense for both sides
In this deal, the Knicks get Durant after missing out to their crosstown rivals six years ago. The Knicks' offense is strong but requires consistent heavy lifting from Jalen Brunson to create for the other finishers in the lineup.
Well, Durant is one of the greatest finishers in NBA history and would pair with Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns to give the Knicks one of the most efficient and productive offensive cores in the NBA. Their skill sets mesh well and could be enough to help the Knicks take that next leap to join the Celtics and Cavaliers in true contention to win the Eastern Conference. They would need to add more depth and size in the offseason, but their offensive foundation and upside would be tremendous.
In Anunoby, the Suns get a 27-year old impact forward on a similar career timeline with 28-year old franchise player Booker. Anunoby is an elite wing defender, named second-team All-Defense in 2023 and with Booker would form a wing tandem that is excellent at both ends of the floor. The Suns also still need more size and muscle in the middle, and the 26-year old Robinson would give them another young veteran entering his peak seasons capable of contributing to the main rotation of a winning squad. Robinson has had health issues, but when on the court, he is one of the better defensive and rebounding bigs in the league.
San Antonio Spurs
Wright's trade offer:
Spurs get: Kevin Durant
Suns get: Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, 2025 first-round pick (via Atlanta)
Why it makes sense for both sides
Growing up in France, Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama idolized Kevin Durant, even modelling elements of his game after the 36-year old.
In Paris at the 2024 Olympics, the two shared a moment after the gold medal game with Wembanyama expressing admiration for Durant in addition to revealing a desire to "steal" one or two tricks from the future Hall of Famer's repertoire.
What better way than by playing alongside him in San Antonio? The Spurs' interest in Durant dates back to 2016, when he took a free agent meeting out of respect for former coach Gregg Popovich before ultimately signing with Golden State.
The sides reportedly expressed mutual interest again ahead of the February trade deadline, before San Antonio made a deal to acquire point guard De'Aaron Fox. That move signaled the Spurs are looking to smash the gas pedal on what's been, so far, a lengthy rebuilding process.
Bringing aboard Durant instantly thrusts San Antonio and new coach Mitch Johnson into postseason contention. The Spurs have plenty of draft picks (including two first-rounders in June) to consummate a deal and the salaries to make the numbers work. San Antonio won't surrender the No. 2 pick for a 36-year-old Durant, but the club would gladly give up pick No. 14, along with veterans Devin Vassell and Harrison Barnes in a package to land the former MVP.
The 24-year-old Vassell is coming off somewhat of a down season by his standards but has proven to be an ascending two-way player that shoots a career 37% from deep with four years left on his deal.
Moving Vassell would make room in San Antonio's starting lineup for Dylan Harper, should the Spurs decide to draft him with the No. 2 pick. Barnes, meanwhile, is coming off a career-best 43.3% from 3-point range last season while playing in all 82 games for the third consecutive season. Barnes also provides the veteran leadership that rebuilding teams desperately need and is still capable of starter-level contributions.
Wildcard!
Dallas Mavericks
Herring's trade offer:
Mavericks get: Kevin Durant
Suns get: Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, Dereck Lively II, 2028 first-round pick (via Oklahoma City)
Why it makes sense for both sides
In dealing then-25-year-old Luka Doncic for 31-year-old Anthony Davis, the Mavericks have made no secret that they view their window to contend for a title as the next few years -- even as they struck gold by winning the 2025 draft lottery (and presumably Cooper Flagg). And with that win-now mentality established, they'd seemingly continue to push the chips in further, even with Kyrie Irving's torn ACL hurting their chances next season.
Acquiring Durant, one of Irving's closest friends and his former Brooklyn teammate, would be one clear way to do that. He'd ensure the team's perimeter scoring and ballhandling stay afloat while Irving rehabs. And it would also give Davis another future Hall of Famer to take pressure off his shoulders from night to night. The move would also give Durant a chance to potentially finish his career in the state where he became a one-and-done superstar for the Texas Longhorns, all while playing alongside Flagg, the presumptive No. 1 pick who figures to become a mainstay as the Mavs restructure following the Doncic trade.
In this deal, the Suns would immediately deepen their rotation, getting not only a historic sharpshooter in Thompson, but also key win-now players in Marshall and Washington, who suddenly isn't needed as much in Dallas with Flagg's arrival. Phoenix would be most excited about landing Lively, who enjoyed a fantastic rookie season on both ends with Dallas en route to the NBA Finals in 2024. The haul, and Dallas' 2028 first-round pick, should be enough to convince franchise player Devin Booker that Phoenix will have enough to be competitive over the next few years.
Dallas, like the current Suns roster, would still be a top-heavy group as a result of this move, and one that would ultimately need a decent stretch of good health to give the club a chance at glory. It may seem like a heavy investment and risk for the Mavs, but the stakes are a undoubtedly lower for them now that they know they'll have Flagg, a piece that allows Dallas and its fans to dream about a future, even with a trio of stars in their 30s.
The verdict: Durant to the Wolves?
The verdict: Durant to the Timberwolves?
Dallas, Miami, San Antonio, New York and Houston make compelling cases, but it is hard to turn down the trade proposal Minnesota has offered. The Timberwolves package checked three out of the four boxes Phoenix set off to accomplish in trading Durant: controllable contracts, players who can help now and financial flexibility. The Timberwolves could trade the 17th pick in this year's draft but that is not included.
The addition of Dillingham gives Phoenix a controllable contract for the future and an injection of youth into an aging team. The Suns finished the 2024-25 regular season behind only the Clippers as the oldest team in the NBA. Before the trade, last year's draft picks Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro were the only players on the roster who were 23 years old or younger. Gobert is under contract for the next three seasons and gives Phoenix an All-Defensive presence at center. Meanwhile, the addition of DiVincenzo (he is under contract for the next two seasons), strengthens a bench that is in need of shooting.
And while OG Anunoby is probably the best "win-now" player included in the trade, the $176 million left on his contract after this season is a hard no. Brooks can give Phoenix the same production at a quarter of what is owed to Anunoby.
The Spurs and Rockets had the draft assets and players to make a more compelling offer to Phoenix but failed to reach the finish line with their lone first-round pick included. -- Marks