Despite an up-and-down season in Phoenix, there had been no indication up until a couple weeks ago that Kevin Durant wasn’t perfectly happy with the Suns or that he was in any danger of seeing his time with the team come to an end.
That changed in the days leading up to last Thursday’s trade deadline, when rumors began percolating about Durant’s possible availability. While the former MVP ultimately stayed put, reporting from ESPN indicated that the Suns and Warriors began discussing Durant about 10 days prior to the deadline without looping in the forward’s camp on those talks.
By the time the deadline came and went, more than half the league had reportedly inquired on Durant, who was said to be “blindsided” by suddenly being at the center of trade rumors — he confirmed as much on Monday.
The Suns’ openness to listening to inquiries on Durant, combined with his apparent unease about those trade talks, has led to speculation that the two sides could be headed toward a divorce during the 2025 offseason as the 36-year-old enters the final year of his current contract.
Asked on Tuesday after he surpassed the 30,000-point mark whether he hopes to spend the rest of his career in Phoenix, Durant didn’t exactly shut down that speculation.
“I’m gonna focus on (playing) Houston tomorrow, man,” Durant said. “We ain’t gonna go there right now.”
Making a TV appearance on Get Up on Wednesday (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reiterated that he’s not expecting the relationship between Durant and the Suns to extend beyond this season.
“He’s probably going to get traded this summer,” Windhorst said. “He knows it. The Suns know it. The rest of the league knows it. They’re going to enjoy him while they have him. It’s not really controversial, in all honesty. They’re under .500, they’ve got a $230MM payroll, then add over $100MM on tax on that.
“He’s played almost 1,500 minutes this year and he’s plus-two on the court in those 1,500 minutes. So you have an extremely expensive team that is not winning and the player that is their most expensive player is playing great but not impacting them on a positive level. You do not need a high-level analyst to tell you that they probably need to trade him, which is why they were exploring the trade market for him.
“While I would never make an ironclad prediction, I would expect this summer for Durant and the Suns to work together to find a new home. He has one year left on his contract, which would give him some control as to where that would be.”
The Warriors were the team pursuing Durant most aggressively last week, but they eventually pivoted to Jimmy Butler and immediately signed their newest star forward to an extension. Technically, there would be nothing stopping them from getting back in the mix for Durant this offseason – the Suns did have a ton of interest in Butler – but the former Warriors star was reportedly entirely uninterested in a reunion with his old team, which was a factor in Golden State’s decision to back off.
This summer, there should be plenty of other teams around the NBA who are in a better position to make trade offers for Durant and who are more likely to appeal to the league’s eighth all-time leading scorer.
We want to know what you think. Will these next few months be Durant’s last in Phoenix? Will the Suns trade him this offseason? If so, which teams do you expect to be in the mix and which club would be the best fit for the star forward?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Should have never left GSW, Jimmy is instantly proving Steph+1 star is a top 6 team minimum. Steph would have 7 rings right now if KD didn’t leave and both were healthy in all the playoffs.
Win a title with Jimmy, then trade Jimmy for KD or Giannis at end of year. GSW keeps finding a way to extend the window, love to see it, love to see the haters mad
So Milwaukee says no to Doncic for Giannis but yes to Jimmy Butler?
Giannis is in control of the situation, not the Bucks. Giannis wants to leave, not the other way around.
The perfect story to me is Okc, I don’t want to hear about paying taxes or the roster getting too expensive, it wouldn’t be and thats nonsense …it be a 3 year deal in total and perhaps Kevin could take a small haircut for the good Pr/increased title chances
You could do it with or w/out IHart in the deal in the summer, Caruso is 100% in there as Phx doesnt even have the tools to calculate what a bad contract is.Money match/picks zero problem here, theyd still be hella deep after the trade
Doubt Presti has the stones tho, I think he lands in Hou all said and done and I think its a mistake for Okc to sit idle and not push some chips
I concur, particularly with the last paragraph. The only thing that might alter the landscape is this off season will likely be Presti last chance with this group to make a trade aggregating salaries, something he’d need to do for KD or any superstar paid similarly. He’s avoided trading for that guy his entire career. Maybe, believing its now or never, and the historical tie to KD, he pulls the lever on this one. I’d give maybe a 20% chance.
Otherwise, its HOU, if they want him. They’re sitting there with PHX’s 2027 and 2029 FRPs, for one.
I’d be curious to see what HOU gives up to land KD … they could pick up FVV’s club option and then trade him to PHX plus picks and filler but that would be assuming Beal was moving out as well (though I don’t think anyone wants Beal unless there is major draft capital attached).
Cap-
Choose between:
1) KD: 3 yrs, $65M/yr, age 38-41 years old
2) Holmgren: 5 yrs, $47M/yr, age 24-28 years old
Presti’s model says 2)
Ari
3- Both
Neither have have anything to do with each other
Rain Delay, Tell Sam Presti. It’s his example, not mine.
I don’t think Presti has an example iof attempting to win yet so I don’t see the model
Think he’s still getting over Mrs Hayward currently
OKC does have such a model, as does Orlando.
What you’re missing is that the model ranges over ~8-10 years. It starts with a rebuild. They are in year 4 now, right on schedule.. The goal is to synchronize the development of several young stars, retaining them with rookie extensions. Those contracts gave greater return than aging superstars.
You can find out more by Google’ing, I’m sure. But the goal is to ride SGA, Williams, and Chet over the next 6 seasons, complemented by a group of home-grown inexpensive talent.
They can’t do that if they sign 38 year-old KD to a $65M/yr deal.
Respectfully think your last post was insane and wildly incorrect Ari .
They can add Durant and not lose any of the exts …. Ofc they would have to pay the tax , I know that’s crazy huh. All it takes is money and channeling those two hanging fruits I assume Sam still has between his legs , let’s all stop coddling these poor small market teams good lord
Sans whole model has been to lose , he’s been great at it I’ll admit , I don’t need. Google for that
Rain Delay, just the facts, my friend. You don’t have to Google, just follow the basic coverage on this site.
Presti has publicly stated that they expect to be paying 3 players ~$160M/yr in 3 years:
SGA: $67M/yr
JWilliams: $46M/yr
Holmgren: $46M/yr
That doesn’t include their existing commitments to Hartenstein for $28M/yr or the rest of their young core. You need 14 guys.
There is no way to add KD at $65M under the CBA — even if the OKC owners could afford to lose hundreds of millions of dollars, as you suggest.
IHart Caruso Joe cover Kd , in fact they will make 5 M more than Kd himself next year – Joes contract is on the books for 3 more years , Caruso s 4 so this isn’t a short game sell – Kd would be 3 years in total
Okc would have bird and rfa rights on everyone – It’s just money, new Cba has no barrier to this whatsoever
Your completely off base here, if your line in is Okc is too poor to pay some tax you have 2% of an argument
Okc doesnt even become an apron 1 team next year With KD … If you head over to Spotrac and do sone simple math this will all become more clear to you Ari
The Human Rain Delay said:
> If your line in is Okc is too poor to pay some tax you have 2%
> of an argument
> “It’s just money”.
Classic!
Fail to see your line then , I’m trying to give you a cover here
There are zero Cba implications affecting this trade.
There is nothing prohibiting any further exts
You’re not too familiar with Okc”s current ledger I can see
There’s also No such thing as a “model” and byyyy God if there was Sam Presti sure wouldn’t be the one to write it
3 year model ? Ridiculous
KD come back to OKC please
They don’t need him.
In many ways, you’re right. Thumbs up. But wow they need a second closer type guy. Not sure if Jalen Williams fills that role but he’s close.
The OKC thing is fascinating. Esp if they come up short this year.. he could rly help w their main potential playoff flaw, the lack of iso guys to help Shai after double-teams.
I don’t see it w Houston. Jus think their timelines more delayed than OKC. KD will have lost a step by the time they’re a legit finals contender. Positionally and age wise, id be way more intrigued by Booker if I’m them.
I think Memphis is a realistic team, but they’d be playing KD at the 3? Idk it’d be weird.
Thunder would be my fav outcome tho fs and , quite honestly, the best way for KD to save his legacy somewhat.
I don’t understand Phoenix at all. What’s the problem with KD?
He’s playing great, and he likes it there, and his teammates like him. Why would they be so eager to get rid of him? To try to recoup some future stuff and draft pics?
What’s going on out in the desert? I thought a lot of vitamin D was good for the brain?
Vitamin D is fat soluble so one can have toxic reaction ( feel weak and nervous) to an overdose.I’ve met several people in Phoenix with impaired thinking. Maybe members of the Sun’s FO suffer from that :)
Yeah it’s really odd … I never got why they wanted Butler instead of KD unless there’s behind the scenes stuff.
I wonder if the ownership group was trying to do the same thing like DAL, and wanted to jettison KD before he started to really decline. Otherwise I have no idea … their move should’ve been to try to jettison Beal somehow but that no-trade clause is just hamstringing them.
@Gary – I think it’s as simple as they’re not winning enough, even to the level they were at prior to Ishiba and his purge. At least then they some ascending young players and their future draft picks.
Gary I have seen rumors that all Arizona pro sports teams have actively looked into leaving the state, it’s a similar situation to Oakland, from what I have heard. The team owners aren’t getting enough of the pie so they all want in on Las Vegas or Henderson, NV, where they know they will make more. Suns cutting ties with KD and/or trading Booker would lean into that being true.
Luka might not be the first major superstar traded by a greedy owner trying to move to Vegas, we shall see…
Phoenix ownership knows they can’t win with current roster.
KD has two years left. Trading him is the only way to get enough talent not to suck for the next seven years. It’s that simple.
How did they decide the roster was good enough when they originally put it together? 2.5 stars, and very little else.
The concept of a “big 3” dominated the leagues front offices after 2015, it was “get 3 stars at any cost” until 2022.
It’s time to come home Kevin. We need a superstar to guide these youngsters here at wizards camp.
Be nice if he retires
Am I allowed to not care anymore? Suns stink. There are too many other exciting teams and players.
Durant doesn’t want to go back to GS because who wants to deal with Draymonds mouth all the time especially when he is just a shell of what he used to be but still thinks he’s the greatest to ever touch the floor
Once again GMKD proves he sucks ……..
Suns went for it ……. and failed miserably. Monty destroyed this team. And almost did it to Pistons.
Suns would be smart to send him to Thunder. They can rebuild team ……
KD will ask for a trade in the off season to a team with defence and a need for scoring…
That’s if he wants to win, he’stoo old to be the top wing defender on his team… I still expect him to ask for a trade though…
Would KAT for Durant work?