Victor Wembanyama, Kevin Durant, Spurs
Getty
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs guards Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns.
The San Antonio Spurs have fallen behind in the race to land Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, two teams outside of the Spurs have emerged as the legitimate contenders in the Durant sweepstakes.
“Things are obviously fluid at this stage, but the two teams most frequently cited as potential landing spots for Durant entering Saturday’s business, league sources say, were Minnesota and Miami,” Fischer wrote on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter.
The Spurs have piqued Durant’s interest, not only because of their proximity to the University of Texas, his alma mater, but also because of their generational star Victor Wembanyama.
“San Antonio and Houston — and to a lesser extent both the LA Clippers and Toronto — have also been frequently mentioned by executives throughout the league as teams with varying degrees of interest in trading for Durant. It is widely presumed, furthermore, that landing with the Spurs or Rockets in Texas is highly appealing to the player himself,” Fischer wrote.
However, there is “a considerable amount of skepticism leaguewide” that the Spurs are willing to surrender a significant draft capital or their coveted young players for an aging star, according to Fischer.
The Spurs have a deep draft capital, including this year’s Nos. 2 and 14 picks.
Available Spurs Players
Devin Vassell, Devin Booker, Spurs
Getty Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns drives to the basket against Devin Vassell of the San Antonio Spurs.
Meanwhile, the Suns are not keen on the players the Spurs have made available in Durant trade talks.
“Sources add that Phoenix is not enamored with the players San Antonio has made available in the teams’ talks to date. It is obviously presumed that Durant would relish the opportunity to play alongside Victor Wembanyama, but it is also believed that the Spurs are only willing to discuss veterans such as Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes. The Spurs just managed to acquire De’Aaron Fox from Sacramento largely on their terms and the notion now of surrendering newly named Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle or the No. 2 selection in this month’s draft is simply a non-starter,” Fischer wrote.
While Vassell could have the highest-upside player that the Suns could potentially acquire for Durant, his skillset and position overlap with both Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, Fischer noted.
The Suns are having a tougher time unloading Beal because he has no trade clause.
Kevin Durant’s Expensive Price Tag
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that the Suns have put a hefty price tag on Durant.
“From what I am told, the Suns are looking for a comparable package for what they traded Kevin Durant, which is impact players and multiple draft assets,” Windhorst said on “NBA Today” on June 11. “I’m not sure they are going to be able to generate that because Durant is a couple of years older and his contract is short.”
Durant, who will turn 37 this September, is still among the elite players in the league. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 62 games in Phoenix this season.
The Suns gave up four first-round picks and a pick swap on top of Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges for Durant at the trade deadline in 2023. Three of those picks are now with the Rockets, who are in a great position to trade for Durant should they want to.
A move for Durant could give the Spurs a “Big Three” with Wembanyama and Fox that could make them a legitimate contender in the stacked Western Conference.