Kevin Durant, Suns, Heat
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Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns reacts during the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Phoenix Suns are close to trading 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports reports.
“A Kevin Durant deal is very close. Phoenix continues to work with multiple teams to get the deal they want and I expect it will happen today or tomorrow,” Gambadoro wrote on X on Sunday, June 22.
The Suns have Wednesday, June 25, the first day of the 2025 NBA Draft, as their artificial deadline for a Durant deal. They want to execute the selection of whatever draft pick they can get in the return package for the future Hall of Famer.
So far, the Suns have talked to at least five teams, according to multiple reports. Three teams — the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets — are on Durant’s list of preferred destinations, according to ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania.
Either of the three teams is where Durant is amenable to sign an extension.
Durant has one year and $54.7 million left in his current four-year, $190 million contract. He can sign a two-year, $112 million extension wherever he lands next. If he waits six months after the trade, he could fetch more — $124 million over two years, according to Charania.
Two more teams — Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors — outside of Durant’s list have a puncher’s chance of landing Durant, who could be a one-year rental unless he changes his mind.
Kevin Durant’s Expensive Price Tag
Brian Gregory, Suns
Getty Phoenix Suns newly promoted general manager Brian Gregory has a work cut out for him.
According to ESPN’s senior NBA writer Brian Windhorst, the Suns have a high asking price for Durant that has been dragging the trade talks.
“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.”
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.
But the Rockets have drawn a firm line in the sand.
Where Teams Stand in Trade Talks
According to Clutchpoints’ Brett Seigel, the Suns have demanded more from the Rockets’ initial offer. However, the Rockets did not counteroffer and rejected their advances.
“Jalen Green and the 10th pick in this year’s draft present a clear opportunity for the Rockets to swing a deal, but the Suns have demanded more, sources said. Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and Reed Sheppard are among the young talents in Houston that Phoenix has expressed interest in. The Rockets have not been willing to part with any of the three to this point,” Seigel wrote.
Ditto with the Spurs, who made a firm stance that this year’s No. 2 pick and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle are “non-starter” in Durant trade talks, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.
The Heat have also kept standout rookie Ke’lel Ware off the table in the Durant discussions. The All-NBA Rookie Second Team center is viewed as the “swing piece” to get the deal done, per Fischer.
On the other hand, the Raptors are also unwilling to part ways with center Jakob Poeltl in a Durant deal, according to Michael Granger of Sportsnet Canada, especially if he’s just a one-year rental.
The Timberwolves could provide the best high-impact player for the Suns in either four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert or three-time All-NBA forward Julius Randle, per The Athletic. But they are also reluctant to go all in if Durant remains firm on his stance on Minnesota.
“I’m told Durant has no desire to be in Minnesota with the Timberwolves,” Charania said on SportsCenter on June 16.
Which among the five teams can get a deal done or is there another team that will spring a surprise?