The Spurs might swing for the fences during the offseason, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania was a guest on [The Pat McAfee Show](https://www.youtube.com/live/3EpM4AYEVno?feature=shared&t=1706) on Tuesday and briefly discussed the Spurs. After stating that they expect Victor Wembanyama to be fully ready to go at the start of training camp, the NBA’s premier news-breaker went on to discuss how the team has plenty of assets and will actively try to upgrade at the wing, mentioning both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant as potential targets.
Giannis hasn’t even asked for a trade yet, [and we’ve already discussed why it would be hard for San Antonio to land him](https://www.poundingtherock.com/2025/5/14/24429723/giannis-antetokounmpo-to-the-spurs-is-tantalizing-in-theory-but-unlikely-in-practice). Durant as a potential target is interesting, since he’ll probably be on the move and we now have an insider saying there was mutual interest in joining forces in the past. So let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of a potential Durant trade.
### Why Durant to the Spurs makes sense
From a purely on-court perspective, Durant and the Spurs seem like a perfect match. The three things that were missing last season from the forward platoon were consistent outside shooting (aside from Harrison Barnes), self-creation, and weakside defense. KD would immediately address all three. Last season, he shot 43 percent from outside, averaged over a block a game, and 44 percent of his buckets were unassisted. The 36-year-old forward might not be at the height of his powers, but he’s still a star who can carry an offense for stretches, terrify defenses when he’s spotting up, and use his length to bother shots. The fit next to Victor Wembanyama, who has said Durant is his favorite player, is pristine, as they can both score on and off the ball, and would form a scary duo on the other end.
The issues with Durant as a Spurs target are age and contract length. He’s still a star but should start to fade soon, and he’s in the last year of his contract, so he could be a rental. Those two factors, however, are not as damming as they initially seem. With Chris Paul gone, the Spurs could use a veteran who commands the respect of the locker room, and while Durant is not necessarily a traditional leader, he could fill that role for a season. As for his massive expiring contract, it wouldn’t be as big an issue as it would be for a more expensive team. San Antonio has no concerns when it comes to the tax or the second apron. Once the contract expires, the front office could try to seal a newer, cheaper one. If things don’t work out and Durant walks, the Silver and Black would clear room to continue to have its cap under control going forward.
### Why Durant to the Spurs doesn’t make sense
What do the Suns want for Durant? Phoenix is in a terrible position, both from a cap and future assets perspective, and Durant is their biggest trade chip, as long as Devin Booker remains untouchable. Normally, a disgruntled veteran star on an expiring deal wouldn’t command a big return, but the Suns need one to improve their outlook. Even if they are reasonable or Durant uses his leverage to say that he only wants to be traded to the Spurs (which is far from a given), KD will make $54 million next year, and it’s hard to realistically match his salary without including Devin Vassell or De’Aaron Fox. It’s doubtful the front office would move Fox for an older star mere months after acquiring him, and Vassell might not have great value for a team that has two expensive shooting guards on the books already.
The mechanics of a potential trade are complicated, and the price could simply be too high. The Spurs would need to be convinced that they would be an immediate contender, because they’d only have Durant under contract for one year. Even if an extension is discussed, investing heavily in a 37-year-old who has played over 65 games just once in the five years since returning from an Achilles injury that made him miss an entire season doesn’t seem wise. It’s one thing to throw a small one-year deal to Chris Paul to bring gravitas to the locker room and order to the floor, and another entirely to dramatically change the current roster to get one of the most expensive players in the league to do the same. Unless the front office has the assurance that Durant will take a significantly smaller contract after his current one is up, the risk seems too high.
The Spurs’ past interest in Durant makes sense from an on-court perspective, but it’s unknown if they still want to pursue Durant and if Durant is even still interested in them. Sharania’s claim that San Antonio will actively try to improve at the wing makes perfect sense, and Durant would be a massive upgrade, but it’s hard to make a reasonable deal work.
It would be great to have one of the best players ever wearing Silver and Black next year, and anything can happen in the NBA, but a trade for Durant doesn’t seem to make much sense.