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The Phoenix Suns are widely expected to trade star small forward Kevin Durant at some point in the next few weeks, with the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, and San Antonio Spurs reported as potential landing spots. While many have speculated that Durant might fit best with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the star reportedly has no interest in going there, per Shams Charania of ESPN.
Recently, NBA insider Matt Moore of the Hardwood Paroxysm Substack reported on a third team that offered to help out in a potential Durant to Minnesota deal.
“League sources have said the Nets were brought in as a potential third-team in a deal construct, which would have helped move money and contracts to help both teams reshape their rosters. (No idea what they were getting or sending, but I would speculatively bet Nic Claxton to Phoenix was part of those talks.)” reported Moore.
The Nets of course were Durant's team from 2019-2023, at which point they traded him to the Suns for a haul that figures to be much more valuable than what the Suns are going to get when they deal him this summer.
A strange decision from KD
In theory, Durant's fit on the Timberwolves would seem to make the most sense out of any of the teams listed as potential trade destinations.
Durant would have a clear role as a co-star to Anthony Edwards, and he wouldn't have to expend too much energy on defense with Minnesota's talent on that end of the floor.
Durant has also shown throughout his career that he has no problem joining up with teams that recently defeated him in the postseason, as the Timberwolves did in 2024.
However, Durant “sent out word that he doesn’t want to play there,” according to Moore.
It remains to be seen which of the remaining candidates will give the Suns the best package for Durant, but as previously noted, it's likely to be substantially less than what the team gave up to get him midway through the 2022-23 season.
