Kevin Durant trade rumors: Ranking the five reported possible landing spots for Suns star

A Durant trade seems like a when, not an if, this summer

Kevin Durant's name is going to be mentioned a ton until he's traded from the Phoenix Suns, and judging by all the reporting out there, it feels as though it will come to fruition sooner rather than later. There have been countless teams attached to the superstar forward, and with Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially staying with the Milwaukee Bucks, all eyes are on where Durant lands before the summer is over.

We've got a list of interested teams, as ESPN Wednesday named the Spurs, Rockets, Knicks, Heat and Timberwolves as potential suitors. There's always a chance for a few surprise teams who may throw their hat into the ring, but that's the list we're working off right now.

Kevin Durant trade: Spurs? Rockets? Timberwolves? Knicks? How these NBA teams may be able to land KD

Sam Quinn

With that list in mind, let's rank all five potential suitors from which team is least to most likely to acquire Durant this summer.

5. New York Knicks

There had been some early offseason chatter of the Knicks getting in on the Durant sweepstakes with the potential of swapping Karl-Anthony Towns for K.D. And while ESPN has the Knicks listed as a team still interested, the New York Post's Stefan Bondy is reporting the opposite, saying "New York will not be dealing for the future Hall of Famer."

That could obviously change, or the Knicks could just be floating that information out there to throw everyone off their scent. But from the jump, a trade to get Durant didn't really seem feasible. New York has very few assets that the Suns would be interested in -- or that the Knicks would be willing to part with -- and a Durant-for-KAT swap never seemed likely as Phoenix reportedly had no interest in trading for him. In terms of draft capital, the Knicks have very little after dealing most of their worthwhile picks to get Mikal Bridges last offseason. They have a 2026 first-round pick from the Wizards, but it's top-10 protected and almost certain to not convey, which would then turn into two second-round picks in 2026 and 2027.

If we're looking at a KAT-less trade (my colleague Sam Quinn suggested sending Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Pacôme Dadiet to the Suns), New York would surrender a ton of depth to get that done. For a rotation that lacked depth through its Eastern Conference finals run, pushing all of their remaining chips into the center of the table to get Durant seems like a stupid idea. They would also ironically just be turning themselves into what the Suns had been the last couple seasons, which is a top-heavy roster with little depth to balance things out.

Pairing KD with Brunson would give the Knicks a potent offensive threat, as Durant is an immediate upgrade as one of the best scorers in NBA history. Upgrading from KAT to KD defensively would also mean the Knicks only had one liability on that end of the floor in Brunson, which was a major concern throughout the playoffs as playing Towns and Brunson together often led to New York getting exposed. 

But with the injury history Durant's had, you are taking somewhat of a risk on his durability over the course of a season and the playoffs. As enticing as trading for Durant might be, the Knicks would be far better served tinkering with their roster to add more depth and bringing in a new coach who's better at making adjustments and being more open-minded to try and get this team over the hump next season. And from Phoenix's perspective, there are far better packages they could get than any deal the Knicks could cobble together.

4. Miami Heat

Miami would've filled the No. 5 spot on this list had it not been for the conflicting information on whether the Knicks are interested in acquiring Durant. So here we are. The Heat are always attached to any star on the trade market, but in recent years have not been as successful in landing them. Remember when the sticking point in landing Damian Lillard, whose preferred destination was Miami, was giving up Jaime Jaquez Jr., who hadn't played a single minute yet for the Heat? Pat Riley's stubbornness in not including Jaquez, whose production and role diminished quite a bit this season, resulted in Lillard heading to the Bucks, and is one of the more memorable "what if" moments in recent history.

In terms of return value for the Suns, any package the Heat put together ranks near the bottom, unless Miami is willing to give up Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo or rising rookie Kel'el Ware. Assuming those guys are untouchable for now, let's look at another proposed trade offer from my colleague Sam Quinn, who has this as a multi-team deal where the Suns would get Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jović, first-round picks in 2030 and 2032 and Robert Williams III from the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers would get Duncan Robinson in return, adding necessary shooting around their young core, and solve their problem of having a crowded frontcourt.

The Heat would then have a core of Durant, Herro and Adebayo, which is certainly good enough to contend in a weaker Eastern Conference. And if the Suns wanted more draft capital in return, they could ask for Miami's No. 20 pick in this year's draft to sweeten the offer.

The issue with this deal, though, is that if that trio isn't immediately successful, the Heat have essentially mortgaged their future. So if Durant were to get injured, or if this team just couldn't contend on the level of the Knicks, Cavaliers, Pacers and Celtics (when Tatum is healthy), then it would've been a pretty bad deal in hindsight. And on the flip side of that, the Suns probably don't value Wiggins as the biggest return piece for a Durant trade, making it even more unlikely this deal happens.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves

The mutual appreciation between Durant and Anthony Edwards is well documented. Edwards has said on multiple occasions that Durant is his favorite player, so the connection here makes sense. The Timberwolves also reportedly tried to trade for Durant at the deadline in February, and giving their inclusion on this list the interest is still there. Durant gives Minnesota a massive boost offensively, creating a dangerous tandem with Edwards, and they certainly wouldn't sacrifice anything defensively. So here's the proposed deal:

Suns get: Julius Randle, Mike Conley, Goga Bitadze, Terrence Shannon Jr., No. 25 pick

Magic get: Donte DiVincenzo

Timberwolves get: Kevin Durant

Nets get: Gary Harris, No. 46 pick

Multi-team deals are incredibly tricky to pull off, but in this situation there's a lot to like about it from all sides of the equation. Phoenix gets a partner for Booker in Randle, who is coming off an incredible playoff run (aside from the Oklahoma City series), and someone who the Timberwolves are probably fine parting ways with given his impending player option. Conley gives the Suns a veteran guard to employ off the bench, and getting Bitadze from the Magic upgrades their frontcourt rotation, which has been a priority for some time. The Magic address their need for shooting in getting DiVincenzo from the Wolves, while sending Harris to Brooklyn, who also gets a second-round pick out of it.

The issue here, though is that the Suns maybe want some more future draft capital, because this deal is one that wouldn't necessarily raise their floor to being a title contender in a stacked Western Conference. It would keep them competitive with Booker still on the roster, but without the future assets it pretty much paints Phoenix into the corner of needing to be competitive now, as they also don't control any of their own first-round picks until 2031. So getting quality draft capital in addition to players who can help them remain competitive now is probably the deal that's going to get this done. The Timberwolves don't control any of their first-round draft picks, aside from 2028, which they can't trade due to the Stepien Rule, which blocks a team from trading their own first-round pick in back-to-back years.

If the Suns want a combination of win-now talent and future draft capital, then the two teams ahead of the Timberwolves have the best packages to offer.

2. Houston Rockets

The Rockets have been connected to Durant going back to last summer, but the team was patient in wanting to see how this young core panned out first. They finished the regular season with the second-best record, but fell in the first round to the Warriors. In that series, it was evident that the Rockets lack a No. 1 option, at least until Amen Thompson ascends and develops his offensive game more to balance out his tenacious defense. Getting Durant would be the perfect bridge until then. Houston also has several young players to dangle in front of the Suns who would fit the timeline of a 28-year-old Booker and, perhaps more importantly, the Rockets hold several of Phoenix's future first-round picks. If the Suns are prioritizing getting some of their own assets back making a deal with the Rockets would certainly be the move.

As my colleague Sam Quinn suggested, the Rockets likely wouldn't part ways with Thompson, Alperen Sengun or Reed Sheppared, so this deal likely starts with Jalen Green, and Jabari Smith Jr. From there, the Suns could target the No. 10 pick in this year's draft (which is Phoenix's), or ask for the 2027 first-round pick back that the Suns traded in the deal to get Durant from the Brooklyn Nets. If Houston is giving up both Green and Smith, they're unlikely to part ways with both the No. 10 pick in this year's draft and a future pick in either 20207 or 2029. But if Houston really wants Durant because it feels as though the 37-year-old puts this team closer to winning a championship right now, then if the Suns want both they probably do that deal. 

The fit of Green next to Booker isn't exactly seamless, especially defensively, and with Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen also on the roster, the need for yet another shooting guard is entirely unnecessary. But the get here would be Smith, who is a versatile defender, and at 21 years old still has tons of room to grow offensively. If the Suns are OK taking on Green in order to land Smith, then perhaps they'd do this deal. But if not, and if the Rockets are unwilling to give up any of their other young players, then it's probably dead in the water. It's a decent deal, especially if Phoenix manages to get some of its own draft capital back from the Rockets, but the sticking point here is how the Suns value Green.

1. San Antonio Spurs

There's so much noise pointing to the Spurs landing Durant, going back to the two sides having mutual interest at the trade deadline in February. San Antonio are heavy betting favorites to land the future Hall of Famer (-160 via DraftKings) for a number of reasons. Durant has a strong connection to the Lone Star State, having attended the University of Texas, and while San Antonio is no Austin, they're only about two hours away from each other. Aside from the geographical connection, teaming up with Victor Wembanyama seems like the biggest home run move not just for Durant but for the Spurs, too. As for the Suns, San Antonio has the most to offer in terms of a return package, so much so that it wouldn't be surprising if this deal gets done quickly either around the draft in a couple weeks or when free agency starts.

The Spurs have the No. 2 and No. 14 picks in the upcoming draft, and assuming that No. 2 pick is off limits, sending the Suns the 14th pick is still a positive asset. While Houston has the highest available pick to offer the Suns in this year's draft, the Spurs possess the better talent to get this deal done. Offering Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Harrison Barnes could probably get this across the finish line without San Antonio surrendering any future draft capital, especially considering Durant is an aging star who won't be in the league when Wembanyama is at the height of his prime.

Or perhaps the Suns covet De'Aaron Fox instead. There's certainly a way to make that happen, too. Trading Fox would also help out the Spurs, as it would clear up the logjam they have in the backcourt to make room for Dylan Harper, who they're expected to take with the second pick in the draft. 

With Giannis Antetokounmpo seemingly off the trade market -- for now -- Durant is the next best available star for the Spurs to land if their goal is to contend next season. Adding Durant makes them title contenders, and they wouldn't be giving up a ton to land him while still preserving their future for Wemby's prime. For the Suns, San Antonio has the best combination of assets to offer them, so at this point it just feels like a matter of when, not if, a trade between these two teams will happen.