The Phoenix Suns are working on finding a Kevin Durant trade this summer after a disastrous 2024-25 season resulted in the departure of head coach Mike Budenholzer and a need to shake things up. As the Suns try to retool their roster in what's expected to be a post-Durant world, Matt Moore reports on his Hardwood Paroxysm Substack that they “have indicated to teams that center is at a premium for them in any KD talks.”

While Moore notes there's still a chance Durant sticks around, he says fixing the center “disaster” left behind when Deandre Ayton left is a major priority. This echoes recent reporting from The Stein Line's Jake Fischer, who said upgrading at center is a priority regardless of a Durant trade.

Is Karl-Anthony Towns an option?

Knowing Phoenix wants to upgrade at center, the mind immediately wanders to New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns. In the aftermath of the Knicks' Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers, the KAT trade chatter began immediately. While Towns and Jalen Brunson just led New York to its first ECF appearance since 2000, many have questions about if those two can actually win a championship together due to their defensive shortcomings.

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Bill Simmons opined on a KD-KAT trade earlier this week, citing Towns' close friendship with Devin Booker as a reason for the Suns to pursue the option. KAT and Book played together at Kentucky, nearly pulling off an undefeated season before losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four. If Phoenix truly has no interest in rebuilding, giving Booker a star running mate with whom he has a good relationship makes some sense, even considering Towns' flaws.

For the Knicks, this would be a drastic move given Towns is so much younger than KD and did just help get this team two wins short of the NBA Finals. Perhaps the thought is this run was a fluke and New York just needs to get out of the KAT business, which is essentially what Simmons argues. Durant isn't what he once was, but he's still a high-level scorer who could take pressure off Brunson, and Mitchell Robinson could potentially be the starting center. (Whether Robinson could hold up without getting hurt is another question, and that goes for KD as well.)

The Suns will surely consider all options when it comes to a Kevin Durant trade. If the Knicks are actually serious about trading Karl-Anthony Towns, maybe we see some fireworks.