As the Phoenix Suns delve further into disaster, the odds that Durant is playing his final season there continue to increase. With the word out on his potential availability, several prominent NBA teams are expected to join the pursuit.
“The San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat will pursue a Kevin Durant trade this offseason,” a league source told Hoops Wire.
Amid the team’s ongoing struggles, and after his spat with head coach Mike Budenholzer, the situation has become dire in Phoenix. Many believe the only way out is to start over by trading Durant and rebuilding around Devin Booker. The only question now is which team will ultimately land the 2x champion.
At second in the West standings, Los Angeles has a lot to gain by signing Durant, who is averaging 26.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game this season. He could be the missing link alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic, to spread the floor and add another shot creator in the frontcourt.
The Miami Heat are another likely option for Durant. His interest in the franchise is well-known and his basketball-first mentality would make an ideal fit with the iconic ‘Heat Culture.’ They might not be a favorite to win the title, but they’d be relevant again after enduring the ugly Jimmy Butler saga.
Durant, 36, could also reunite with his former teammate Kyrie Irving. After trading Luka Doncic at the deadline, the Mavericks are desperate to win the title at any cost, and signing a proven winner like KD could drastically increase their odds of a lengthy postseason run.
In San Antonio, the Spurs are on the rise as Victor Wembanyama takes his game to new heights. The young center is due to return from his blood clots next season, and having a shotmaker like Durant in the frontcourt would make his life a whole lot easier.
At 37-25, the Rockets are certainly on a better track than the Spurs but they don’t yet have that alpha-tier star. With Durant, they could get that guy while surrounding him with a cast of versatile young players like Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, and Amen Thompson.
As for the Timberwolves, we know they’ve tried to trade for Durant before but the word on the street is that they could look his way once again. Durant played with Anthony Edwards on the Olympics this summer and their relationship developed to a point where it could bring them together again.
Timberwolves Want To Pair Anthony Edwards With His Idol
The Minnesota Timberwolves are doing everything they can to build a championship roster around Anthony Edwards. This season, at seventh in the West (35-29), the Wolves are still far from the championship picture, but that could change if they follow through on their pursuit of Kevin Durant.
“Another small market team to watch: the Minnesota Timberwolves,” said Brian Windhorst on ESPN’s Get Up. “Ant Edwards and Kevin Durant have a very tight connection. Also from the Olympics. The Timberwolves tried to pull off a crazy trade at the deadline for KD. Look for them to revisit those talks this summer.”
The Timberwolves are in a precarious situation right now after trading their franchise center, Karl-Anthony Towns, before the season. They were in the Western Conference Finals a few months ago, but now they’re fighting to avoid the play-in tournament. They need to make another big move, and Kevin Durant may be worth the price.
Like many teams, acquiring Kevin could help the Timberwolves achieve their greatest ambitions. At the very least, his presence would make life easier for Anthony Edwards and make him more inclined to stick around long-term.
Of course, the Wolves will have to sign him first, and with so many teams in hot pursuit, it remains to be seen if they can actually pull it off. This offseason, the price for Durant will be at a premium as the Suns look to recoup assets and teams will presumably have to make generous offers to win the biggest prize of the summer.
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