It's no secret that the Minnesota Timberwolves are in conversations for Kevin Durant.
The Wolves came close to a deal before the February trade deadline but ultimately tabled conversations for this summer.
But as the complexion of the NBA offseason has come into frame, the Timberwolves, once a dark horse to acquire Durant by trade, have become heavy favorites with the latest developments around the NBA.
Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35)
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
According to Forbes' Evan Sidery, the Timberwolves jumped from +400 odds, an implied probability of 20%, to -110, or 52.4% favorites, with DraftKings Sportsbook.
While Vegas could have some inside information, there are several factors behind a big public betting swing for the Wolves as well.
Previously longshots at +700 (12.5%), the Timberwolves are the subject of serious steam in the Durant sweepstakes. The previous favorite San Antonio Spurs have seemingly dropped out while the Wolves, Houston Rockets and Miami Heat remain central in trade talks, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
A June 14 episode of "The Zach Lowe Show" corroborated Charania's report. The Ringer's Zach Lowe named the Wolves as the No. 1 team in "buzz" rankings, followed by the Rockets.
This aligns with Durant's previous interest with the Timberwolves as his preferred destination at the February trade deadline ahead of the Golden State Warriors, who went on to trade for Jimmy Butler instead.
The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski, who reported on the initial Durant trade interest in February, reiterated that the Wolves will "look hard" at a deal on June 11, which seemed to kickstart the Timberwolves' buzz before the weekend.
Teams are expected to put in their final offers soon, with a trade imminent in the coming weeks.