Kevin Durant - Minnesota Timberwolves at Phoenix Suns
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, loves to wheel and deal. And who can blame him? Everyone reading this article is a sports fan, meaning most of us have been playing Franchise Mode and My GM since we could hold a controller.
Most recently, Connelly tried to get his blockbuster trade fix by targeting one of the greatest shooters in league history, Phoenix Suns forward, Kevin Durant. According to multiple reports, Minnesota had the best offer on the table for KD, too.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t interested in playing for the Timberwolves, which forced Tim to back off. Finally, last week, a handshake agreement between the Suns and Houston Rockets was unofficially consummated, ending the 2025 KD trade saga once and for all.
Or so we thought…
Kevin Durant trade is getting complicated
That was before the latest news dropped Wednesday night, revealing that the Durant-to-Houston trade is getting historically complicated. As of now, the deal includes a record-setting SEVEN teams (including the Minnesota Timberwolves). But according to The Athletic, “a trade is no longer imminent”.
League sources tell The Athletic that the Rockets and Suns are working on expanding the Kevin Durant trade into a deal that would involve a league-record seven teams. Other teams involved in negotiations at the moment include the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, league sources say.
No trade is imminent, and details are being ironed out as of Wednesday night.
The Athletic
As of now, it doesn’t seem like this deal is in real danger of falling apart, but that last line makes it clear that it has yet to reach the unofficial finish line. Remember, nothing can be finalized until the new NBA league year begins on July 6.
But no matter how it goes down, it appears the Minnesota Timberwolves are intent on being a part of it, someway, somehow, though we do not yet know at what capacity that involvement will entail. As of now, The Athletic reports that the original trade is mostly still intact.
In a would-be seven-team trade, there is an unprecedented amount of detail. Unfortunately, while a seven-team trade would make for a thrilling topic at a cocktail party, there haven’t been many unexpected developments in these negotiations. At least in the iterations of the deal discussed so far, most of the recognizable names are from trades that have already been agreed to and reported but not yet finalized.
The Athletic
Tim Connelly’s blockbuster trade addiction
Tim is 48 years old. When NBA Live 95 came out on SEGA Genesis in October 1994, he was 19 years old living in the dorms at Fordham University. So, if you want to know the origin story behind why the now Wolves PoBO has a blockbuster trade addiction, I’d start there.
Because if you’re running the basketball operations of an NBA organization and not spending an inornate amount of time concocting trades, then pitching them to all of your decision-making buddies around the league… maybe it’s time to find a different profession.
Mentioned in this article: kevin durant Trade Rumors More About:Minnesota Timberwolves