Outside of all the drama surrounding the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers from their deal involving Luka Doncic at the trade deadline, Kevin Durant ended up being the biggest storyline across the NBA.
At one point, it appeared very likely that the Phoenix Suns were about to agree to a trade involving Durant that would have sent him back to the Golden State Warriors, where he won two championships in 2017 and 2018. As trade talks increased between the Suns and Warriors, the framework of a deal that would’ve sent Andrew Wiggins to the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler to Phoenix, among other assets on the move, league sources told ClutchPoints.
Amid negotiating a Durant deal with the Warriors, the Suns were actively in talks with several teams about an additional trade involving veteran center Jusuf Nurkic, who was ultimately traded to the Charlotte Hornets.
When Durant got word of a trade between Phoenix and Golden State nearing completion, he rapidly shut down all talks ahead of the trade deadline for two reasons. Outside of not wanting to return to the Warriors despite still holding a strong relationship with Stephen Curry, Durant simply didn’t want to be traded in the middle of the season.
“At the end of the day, I just didn’t want to move,” Durant told Malika Andrews of ESPN. “And I wanted to see it through with my team in Phoenix and see what we can do through the rest of the season, so I’m glad I’m still there.”
As far as his future with the Suns and wanting to be traded, Durant claimed that he never asked for a trade, and whether he remains in Phoenix is a decision the front office will need to make in the offseason.
Since the trade deadline, Durant and the Suns have continued to dominate headlines for all the wrong reasons. The belief among league personnel is that Phoenix will make the two-time Finals MVP readily available in trade conversations at the end of the season, especially considering that they are currently outside of the Western Conference playoff picture.
Even though he will be 37 years old by the time the 2025-26 season rolls around, Durant is still at the peak of his career and one of the best pure scorers in the NBA. Any team that lands the superstar will instantly increase their championship odds, hence why a blockbuster trade involving the Suns forward could drastically shift the balance of power across the league.
Phoenix appears ready to move on from Durant, and several teams are already monitoring their ability to possibly add the 15-time All-Star.
Although anything can happen, it appears unlikely that the Warriors will revisit these conversations for Durant, especially after trading for and extending Butler. Other teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Minnesota Timberwolves also lack the assets needed to pull off a trade for Durant.
If the Suns do trade Durant, they won’t do so at a discount. Any organization wanting to add one of the best scorers in NBA history must bring a legitimate offer to the Suns. These five teams appear to be the early favorites in the best position to acquire Durant in a blockbuster trade this upcoming offseason.
San Antonio Spurs
Keep a close eye on the San Antonio Spurs heading into the offseason. Although their season may be over with Gregg Popovich remaining away from the team and Victor Wembanyama dealing with a blood clot in his shoulder, this team is primed for immediate growth heading into next year.
Along with owning their own 2025 first-round pick, which is projected to be inside the top 10, the Spurs also own the Atlanta Hawks’ first-round pick. This means San Antonio could add two young, talented players inside the top 15 of this year’s draft while leveraging talents like Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell to go get Durant.
With Wembanyama growing into an MVP-caliber talent and De’Aaron Fox right by his side, Durant could be the final piece to the Spurs reinventing into a true threat in the Western Conference.
While parting ways with Johnson and Vassell is a lot of outgoing value, doing so for Durant makes a ton of sense. Of course, a move like this for the Spurs would be contingent on Durant staying with them for the remainder of his career in search of another championship.
All of a sudden, a core group of Durant, Wembanyama, Fox, Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan, Chris Paul, and two new first-round picks could compete with the best of the best in the West.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder finished with the best record in the West. This season, the Thunder may enter the playoffs with the best record in the NBA.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has turned this young OKC team into a realistic title contender, yet they still seem to be missing one piece for league personnel to look at them as the favorites. Could Durant be that missing piece?
The 36-year-old star is arguably the best player in Thunder history. Returning to Oklahoma City and possibly winning a championship alongside Gilgeous-Alexander would be a full-circle moment for him considering that he left the Thunder to win two championships with the Warriors.
At the same time, the Durant haters will continue to blast him for jumping ship to join the best team in the league. There is also the question of whether Thunder fans would even welcome Durant back with open arms after he left them in the dust when he signed with Golden State in 2016.
When it comes to trade talks for superstars, keep an eye on the Thunder, as they can leverage draft picks at any moment to pull off a blockbuster trade.
Houston Rockets
Out of all the teams in the league, the Houston Rockets are positioning themselves as the frontrunners for a possible offseason Durant trade.
Along with Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green as possible focal points in a trade, the Rockets also have other intriguing young talents like Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and 2024 first-round pick Reed Sheppard. It is highly unlikely that Houston would consider parting ways with breakout second-year talent Amen Thompson.
In addition to their plethora of youthful assets, the Rockets also own several of the Suns’ future first-round draft picks. If Phoenix were to take a step back and refresh by trading Durant, getting their picks in return would make a ton of sense from a front-office perspective.
Executive Rafael Stone and the Rockets’ front office have been very patient with their approach to star talents that become available after trading James Harden in 2021. Durant joining forces with this young powerhouse would surely give the Rockets the offensive firepower they lack to be taken seriously at the top of the West standings.
Miami Heat
When a star player is available on the free agent or trade market, Pat Riley will be involved. Although the Heat just traded Butler to the Warriors, they have opened up a level of flexibility for themselves entering the offseason.
Terry Rozier is going to be entering the final year of his contract. Andrew Wiggins, who the team got in their Butler deal with Golden State, will be a valuable two-way player in trade discussions. The Heat also own a first-round pick every year except in 2027.
Would this be enough for a player like Durant? Wiggins would present immediate value to Phoenix, but other players like Rozier and maybe even young forward Nikola Jovic don’t move the needle compared to what other teams around the league can offer.
After trade talks between the Suns and Warriors involving Durant fell through at the trade deadline, Miami was one of the teams that turned their attention to a possible deal for the future Hall of Famer. It has also been reported that Durant was “open” to the idea of joining Miami despite not wanting to go back to Golden State.
When there is smoke, a fire can form, and the Heat could realistically go all-in by leveraging players like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware with Wiggins and draft assets to bring in Durant during the offseason. This is certainly a scenario to monitor when the Suns’ offseason begins.
Dallas Mavericks
As crazy as it may sound with Kyrie Irving going down due to a torn ACL in his left knee, the Dallas Mavericks seem to make the most sense as a win-now contender for Durant. Then again, this injury does complicate things quite a bit, as the Mavs will be without Irving until sometime in the middle of the 2025-26 season.
Nico Harrison has made it clear that his goal is to win a championship in the next few years with Anthony Davis and Irving. You already have one of the best guards and arguably the best two-way big man in the league, so why not add one of the best forwards and scorers with Durant?
After all, Dallas’ championship window is closing, that is if it hasn’t closed already, so sacrificing any assets they have to create a new Big 3 with Davis, Irving, and Durant makes sense for this organization.
Pulling off a deal for Durant with Phoenix would be complicated for the Mavs. Since Kyrie is likely to opt into his player option for next season, the Mavericks don’t have any wiggle room financially, and they will most likely be operating as a first-apron team or one that is slightly below this mark.
A move to trade for Durant almost definitely makes the Mavs an apron team, and it would require them to part ways with key secondary contributors like Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford. While it’s certainly possible for Harrison to reunite Irving with Durant, the chances of Dallas trading for the Suns star continue to drop in light of Kyrie’s injury.
The post 5 teams best positioned for Kevin Durant offseason trade appeared first on ClutchPoints.
