Sources: Suns have ‘no leverage,’ may have to lower price to trade Kevin Durant
DUANE RANKIN Arizona Republic
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The Phoenix Suns are reportedly facing pressure to lower their asking price for Kevin Durant due to his age and trade request.
Durant, who turns 37 in September, wants a fresh start elsewhere, giving other teams leverage in trade negotiations.
The Phoenix Suns may be placing too high a value on Kevin Durant and might have to reduce their asking price in negotiating a trade, league sources informed The Arizona Republic.
Durant remains one of the game’s best players, finishing sixth in the NBA in scoring at 26.6 points a game, but at age 36, he isn’t viewed as the same player who won finals MVP in back-to-back years with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
The 15-time All-Star turns 37 in September.
The Suns have “no leverage” in part because of Durant’s age and because he wants to start fresh elsewhere, league sources say. The idea of Durant returning to a team that entertained deals for him before the 2025 trade deadline isn’t a pleasant one.
So, a team can wait and see if Phoenix asks for less in a trade. The Suns also would like to get this done before the June 25-26 NBA draft because draft picks are expected to be part of any deal.
Back in April, Hall of Famer Reggie Miller offered a forecast that may be holding firm.
“I think everyone is going to be stingy that way because they know they’re desperate,” Miller said during a TNT Zoom media session about the Suns. “They smell the desperation. I don’t know how they get out of this. I really don’t because it seems like Kevin Durant doesn’t want to be there anymore. … If Kevin Durant doesn’t want to be anywhere, Kevin Durant is going to change area codes and zip codes. That’s just how it is.”
When The Republic began talking to league sources about the Suns trading Durant, one NBA executive said the team should always look to get the “best deal” even when working with a player on finding a trade partner.
Phoenix may reach that point and wind up moving Durant outside of his three preferred teams.
Phoenix isn’t expected to get as much as it yielded to land Durant before the 2023 trade deadline. The Suns traded Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four first-round picks to Brooklyn for Durant and T.J. Warren.
Looking at teams who have surfaced in trade talks, Minnesota has been viewed as the one with the most interest in Durant, league sources say.
For starters, Durant is T-Wolves All-NBA guard Anthony Edwards’ favorite player.
However, the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat are Durant’s preferred destinations, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported. All three of those teams would look to sign Durant to a two-year extension for $122 million, Charania reported.
Durant is entering the final year of his four-year, $194-million deal, which will pay him $54.7 million this upcoming 2025-26 season.
The T-Wolves may be hesitant to trade players like Julius Randle or 7-footer Rudy Gobert, two frontcourt players who helped them reach the Western Conference finals for a second straight year, for Durant if he only looks to stay one season.
Durant will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season. Gobert is a player who comes up in conversation with league sources because the Suns are looking for a center.
As for Durant’s preferred teams, Miami can make forward Andrew Wiggins available, but Wiggins might not fit what the Suns want in a player.
Miami acquired Wiggins from Golden State in the Jimmy Butler deal before the 2025 trade deadline.
Deals that could work financially
Suns team owner Mat Ishbia used the words “grit” and “grind” when expressing how they’ll play moving forward after a 36-win season. Phoenix failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season, which was the last time it suffered a losing season.
Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia ’embarrassed’ by 2024-25 season, ‘no running from that’
At a Phoenix Suns press conference, team owner Mat Ishbia said he’s setting standards for what he expects from all coaching hires going forward.
“It’ll be very clear when a player is being traded for, it’ll be like, oh yeah, he’s kind of like that,” Ishbia said in a press conference after firing Mike Budenholzer. “He fits that mold, and I will be part of that. That’s my job.”
Wiggins is a veteran player who was instrumental in Golden State winning an NBA title in 2021-22, but he’s also seen as someone who lacks aggression and physicality.
Kel’el Ware addresses Phoenix’s need for size and athleticism, which are the same reasons the Heat would want to keep the young big who made the NBA All-Rookie second team this year.
The Republic ran a Durant-to-Heat deal through Spotrac’s trade machine that worked financially — Miami trades Duncan Robinson, Wiggins and Ware to Phoenix for Durant.
The Spurs have 7-footer Victor Wembanyama, a generational talent, and De’Aaron Fox, one of the game’s best point guards. Adding Durant would give the Spurs a special trio and put Durant close to Austin.
Durant played just one season at the University of Texas, but he has a special connection with the university and the city, which is less than 90 minutes from San Antonio. However, the Suns may ask the Spurs for more than they’re willing to part with when it comes to a trade.
The Athletic reported Monday, June 16, that Durant “specifically” wants to play for the Spurs.
The Republic ran a Durant-to-Spurs deal through Spotrac’s trade machine that worked financially — San Antonio trades Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell to Phoenix for Durant.
San Antonio has the second overall pick and 14th overall selection in the first round of this year’s draft, while Phoenix has the 29th overall choice in the first round and 52nd overall selection in the second.
Houston seems like the ideal destination for Durant for a few reasons.
A league source informed The Republic that the Rockets need a “go-to” player in the fourth quarter. The Rockets lacked that guy in losing to the Warriors in the first round of this year’s playoffs as a second seed in the West.
Durant is one of the NBA’s best all-time at closing the show.
Two, Durant has a relationship with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka as the two were in Brooklyn together in 2020-21 when Udoka was an assistant. Durant is also close friends with Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, as the two both played at Texas and were teammates at Oklahoma City.
Three, the Rockets have young talent like Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. — and draft capital — to trade. The Republic ran a Durant-to-Rockets trade through Spotrac’s trade machine that worked financially — Houston trades Jock Landale, Green and Smith Jr. for Durant.
Then again, the Rockets, Spurs and Heat have leverage. They know the Suns are looking to trade Durant before the draft. Durant wants out and prefers to go to one of those teams.
Then there’s the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors, two teams whose names have surfaced in trade talks.
The Suns seek a big, but the Clippers aren’t trying to part ways with their center, Ivica Zubac.
The Raptors have the ninth overall pick in next week’s draft, but would they consider trading, say, Brandon Ingram as well to the Suns for Durant?
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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