The Phoenix Suns seriously considered trading Kevin Durant at the deadline, but the former MVP axed those conversations and opted to finish out the season where it started. His future, however, hangs in the balance.
It has become clear that Phoenix will trade Durant this summer. There's no way around it. Durant will be entering the final year of his contract and the Suns are plumb out of options with the current roster. Durant's contract, in tandem with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, leaves Phoenix will zero financial flexibility.
James Jones and the Suns front office are in an impossible position, equipped with next to nothing in terms of draft capital or promising young talent. Rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro are hits, but teams aren't tripping over themselves to acquire either. The Suns can't compete for major pieces in free agency and have no realistic pathways to improving the roster around Durant. The only thing to do is trade him, recoup some long-lost flexibility, and attempt to chart a new path forward.
The asking price for Durant, per Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic, is three first-round picks and a promising young player. That is a lot for a 36-year-old on an expiring contract, but it's Kevin Durant. He's averaging 26.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on .527/.409/.832 splits. A team will pony up; it's just a question of which one.
Here's who might take the plunge.
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5. New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans feel like sleeping giants. It has been a no good, very bad season across the board, and the Pels will pick high in the 2025 draft as a result. Looking ahead, however, New Orleans has a foundational star in Zion Williamson, who is quietly playing his best basketball in a minute. The Pels also have a deep supporting cast, with Trey Murphy taking a leap, CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray in the backcourt, and Herb Jones providing All-Defense stoppage on the wing.
This Pels team has all the pieces necessary to be good. Like, really good. Health will always be a concern, but Durant gives New Orleans an element of stability and offensive production that does not presently exist. He raises their floor considerably, likely out of lottery range, and gives Zion the proper co-star that Brandon Ingram never developed into.
It's hard to imagine a better skill match for Durant at this stage of his career than Williamson, a burly 6-foot-6 forward who lives in the paint. Durant's floor-bending shooting paired with Zion's constant rim pressure would make the Pelicans extremely difficult to contain, especially with so many quality pieces on the periphery. NOLA isn't a glamorous destination, but man, it looks great on paper.
4. Orlando Magic
Another left-field option that feels extremely practical, the Orlando Magic desperately need shooting. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are budding stars on the wing, but without spacing, the offense is a total slog. Durant immediately boosts their 3-point volume and adds a new dynamic to this Magic squad. His presence should benefit both Banchero and Wagner, too.
Orlando is not the most glamorous destination either, and this season has been a marked disappointment after the immense promise of the 2023-24 campaign. That said, the Magic are so close to being a bankable contender. You can feel it. Wagner has taken another step, emerging as a proper two-way force on the wing. Banchero's bruising physicality and frontcourt playmaking would pair seamlessly with Durant's stretchy shooting.
The Magic also love long, rangy, skilled wings. Durant is exactly the player that front office chases in vain in every draft. Much has been made of Orlando's need for a proper point guard, but it's hard to imagine a more impactful star becoming available to the Magic this summer than KD.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
This is admittedly a long shot, but the Oklahoma City Thunder have more draft picks than they can use (literally). Sam Presti has been sitting on a pile of assets, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. What better path than reuniting with Durant in OKC? Beyond the sentimental reasons, it's a perfect basketball fit — if a little out of whack with their extended youth movement.
Durant is not on the same timeline as OKC's core, but that hardly matters. The Thunder are aiming to win the championship this season. And next season, and the season after that. This is a sustainable contender, which Presti built through years of calculating patience. Trading a bunch of assets for an aging, expensive Durant — with Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams both coming up on huge rookie-scale extensions — does not fit with Presti's M.O., but it does put OKC even closer to immortality for however long it lasts.
Just imagine it. OKC's litany of slashing guards and rangy defenders complemented by the indefatigable shot-making of Kevin Durant, a timeless scorer who'd boost the Thunder's 3-point numbers and take attention away from the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or J-Dub. The last thing opposing defenses want is for OKC to match its constant rim pressure with a truly special perimeter scorer. Durant provides just that.
2. San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are another young team a little out of sync with Kevin Durant's age, but let's not get caught up in "timelines" and "long-term outlooks." Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox are on the Spurs roster. Gregg Popovich, if he's able to return to coaching next season, is on the last legs of a historic career. This is a San Antonio team ready to compete for an NBA title sooner than later.
Few hypothetical three-headed hydras move me more deeply than Wemby, Durant, and Fox. That is a beautiful amalgamation of size, skill, and approach. Wemby is the rangy defensive anchor and budding offensive superstar. Fox is the speedy rim-pressure guard who sets the table. Durant is the elite perimeter shooter who can tie it all together and elevate the offense with clutch, scratch buckets late in games.
This Spurs team would undoubtedly benefit from Durant's immeasurable experience and seasoned leadership. He's been around the block. He knows what it takes to contend at the highest level. A chance to finish out his career next the next face of the NBA in Wembanyama, not to mention his former Team USA coach in Popovich, feels like an opportunity Durant would relish. He went to school at Texas, too, lest we forget.
1. Houston Rockets
This is the obvious landing spot. There's a good chance we all spin our wheels coming up with KD hypotheses for the next few months, only for him to inevitably wind up in a Houston Rockets uniform. Surely Houston would prefer to trade for a younger Devin Booker, but the Suns aren't going to bite. KD is the man on the trade block, and he's the star who can take Houston to the next level of contention.
What makes this such a natural fit — aside from the myriad on-court benefits of adding Durant to this upstart Rockets squad — is that Houston currently owns Phoenix's next few first-round picks. The Suns' current conundrum in exacerbated by their inability to properly tank, or at least to benefit from a mid-to-high draft picks if their season falters. The Suns are trending toward a lottery selection in 2025. Right now, it belongs to Houston.
The Rockets can give the Suns the flexibility of their own NBA Draft future in exchange for Durant, whose prolific shot-making and veteran stability would be a huge boon for a young Rockets offense that can still run aground late in games. Amen Thompson is a prolific slasher; Alperen Sengun is a dynamic playmaking hub in the frontcourt. Durant ties it all together with prodigious 3-point shooting and timely mid-range forays.