As the Phoenix Suns grapple with a losing season despite having three former All-Stars on the roster, their best course of action, it would seem, would be to trade Kevin Durant.
At the 2023 NBA trade deadline, the Suns shipped out Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and five first-round draft picks for Durant. He is still a very good player and one of the best scorers in the league, but the Suns won’t be able to fetch that high of a price for him if they trade him away this summer.
Before the 2025 deadline, Durant was linked to the Golden State Warriors, although he made it clear that he didn’t want to reunite with his former team. If the Suns respect his wishes, they are severely limited.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) defends Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35)
© Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
On paper, the Houston Rockets, who own some Suns’ draft capital, are a perfect landing spot, and Durant would be able to upgrade them to title contenders as soon as next season.
“With the Warriors acquiring Butler after Durant said he was uninterested in a return to the Bay Area, finding a new home for Durant might be trickier than the Suns prefer,” wrote ESPN’s Kevin Pelton (subscription required). “The Houston Rockets have been previously linked with a move for Durant given their combination of draft picks — most notably Phoenix’s own, including this year’s likely lottery selection — and young talent.If Houston would rather wait and see whether Devin Booker or another star shakes loose, the Suns probably won’t come close to recouping their investment in Durant.”
However, if the Suns want to take advantage of a team that’s a little more desperate and doesn’t have as much flexibility as Houston, they could turn to two other more realistic teams.
“Most likely, Phoenix is looking at a lower-priced replacement such as (Julius) Randle or (Andrew) Wiggins, a couple of first-round picks or equivalent prospects and more cap flexibility,” Pelton continued.
If the Suns flip Durant for either of those players and picks, Durant would probably prefer to play for the Miami Heat over the small-market Minnesota Timberwolves, who don’t exactly play in a marquee destination. With only one year left on his contract, the Wolves would need some assurances that Durant is willing to end his career playing alongside Anthony Edwards, whom he seems to respect a lot.