Former Texas Longhorns Star Kevin Durant Wants Trade to San Antonio Spurs

Now only eight days away from the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Kevin Durant trade situation with the Phoenix Suns seems to be properly heating up.

It was recently reported that the former Texas Longhorn's desired landing spot has been narrowed down to the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets or Miami Heat. But according to The Athletic, out of those destinations, Durant specifically wants to play for the Spurs.

Durant's path to the Spurs, though, seems like somewhat of an uphill battle.

Mar 28, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) works around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

A June 16 article from The Athletic states that San Antonio has been "conservative in their pursuit of Durant," which is not very surprising. The Spurs are now on the backend of a rebuild that has seen them assemble a core of Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft, which is expected to be Rutgers guard Dylan Harper. Giving up some of the depth and youth of their roster for a soon-to-be 37-year-old Durant screams risky. Time will tell if it is a risk the Spurs are willing to take.

Yet, the pairing of San Antonio's current restraint in trade talks and the Phoenix Suns' priority of maximizing Durant's return in order to maintain contention hopes indicates another landing spot as a more likely possibility for Durant.

This trade destination is neither of Durant's other two preferred spots. It is a location that ESPN's Shams Charania reports Durant "has no desire to be in": Minnesota.

The Timberwolves have shown interest in Durant for some time but do not want to shake up their roster for him without his willingness to be there. Per The Athletic's Sam Amick and Jon Krawczynski, Durant's potential circumstance is being compared with Minnesota's situation with Jimmy Butler prior to his trade to the Golden State Warriors near the midseason deadline.

The Timberwolves' offer would likely be the Suns' most enticing out of teams expressing interest in the 15-time All-Star, centered around either Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert.

"With the offers from the Spurs, Rockets and Heat coming up short to this point, league sources say the Suns are still hopeful that Durant might warm to the Timberwolves possibility," Amick and Krawczynski write.

A possible breakthrough with Minnesota could be aided by Durant's relationship with the team's star, Anthony Edwards. The two bonded during at 2024 Paris Olympics, and Edwards has not been shy about Durant being his favorite player of all-time.

The duo would immediately become one of the best scoring combos in the NBA. Despite being in his 17th season, Durant did not slow down this year. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists over 62 games, shooting 43 percent from three-point range and leading the NBA in jumpers (49.7 percent) and midrange shots (53.1 percent), per ESPN.

Edwards, who averaged 27.6 points this regular season, earned All-NBA second-team honors and led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row. He is well on his way to being one of the faces of the NBA.

There are steps to be conquered before a Durant trade is finalized, but his exit from Phoenix this offseason looks inevitable. Where he could go next will remain a developing story as the days, and maybe weeks, go on.