Kevin Durant, Victor Wembanyama, Suns
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Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns talks with Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
The Phoenix Suns are not interested in the San Antonio Spurs‘ underwhelming offer for 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.
“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 on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter.
The Spurs own a significant draft capital, including this year’s Nos. 2 and 14 picks, that makes them a strong favorite to land Durant. But their lowball offer has caused them to fall behind two serious bidders for the two-time NBA champion.
“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.
Heat Gain Steam With Spurs Unwilling to Budge
Kevin Durant, Heat
Getty Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat drives against Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns.
Durant would have welcomed a move to San Antonio.
“It is widely presumed, furthermore, that landing with the Spurs or Rockets in Texas is highly appealing to the player himself,” Fischer wrote.
The Spurs have piqued Durant’s interest, not only because of their proximity to the University of Texas, where he played as a one-and-done freshman in college, but also because of their generational star Victor Wembanyama.
With the Spurs unwilling to budge, the Heat have the upper hand. They have three tradable first-round picks (2030, 2032 and this year’s 20th first-round pick via Warriors from the Butler trade) while the Timberwolves only have this year’s 17th pick as their lone draft asset.
The Heat also have young players that appeal to the Suns more than the available Spurs players, such as last year’s 15th overall pick Kel’el Ware.
Suns’ Hefty Asking Price
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.