New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Kevin Durant to Spurs, Hawks Acquire Devin Vassell

It seems like a foregone conclusion that the Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant will part ways this off-season. Due to his exorbitant $54.7 million dollar salary next season and the Suns' lack of both draft assets and cap flexibility, they need to look into trading the future Hall of Fame forward for the best return they can get. He'll be 37 years old by the time the new season starts and the Suns missed the playoffs entirely last season.

While there aren't a ton of teams that can realistically acquire Durant, one of the teams that can realistically make a move for him is the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have tons of salary cap flexibility - they are $44.5 million dollars under the luxury tax line for next season. While they missed the playoffs last year, superstar center Victor Wembenyama missed half the season with deep vein thrombosis and he should be recovered by next season. They have some effective complements for Wembenyama in point guard De'Aaron Fox and shooting guard Stephon Castle while also being poised to add an elite point guard prospect in Dylan Harper to the roster with the second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. However, they could use another scorer to take even more pressure from Wembanyama and allow him to use his elite defensive abilities to prop up the rest of the roster.

In particular, a new report from Arizona Sports radio talk show host John Gambadoro reveals he heard Durant talk to a person very close to him about the Spurs as a trade destination.

"I do know somebody that has been with Kevin Durant recently, and Kevin Durant and this person talked about the Spurs. I don't want to say who, but again, somebody that KD knows and trusts that was talking to KD, he mentioned the Spurs."

Given the needs of all three teams, what would a trade between them look like? Here is one possible framework for a deal.

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks or any other teams should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Devin Vassell, Malaki Branham

Phoenix Suns Receive: Harrison Barnes, Terance Mann, 2025 1st round pick (via ATL, from SAS, #14)

San Antonio Spurs Receive: Kevin Durant, Kobe Bufkin, 2025 1st round pick (via SAC, from ATL, #13)

Why the Hawks would do this deal: Vassell had a down season last year, but he's one of the more effective high volume wing shooters (36.9% career three-point shooter on 5.5 attempts per game). He's shown some signs of being an effective off-ball defender and he's shown signs of developing an effective floater. For the Hawks, he can slide into either the SG or SF spot, which gives them even more optionality on how they choose to deploy him. Although the Hawks eventually need to plan for a Dyson Daniels extension, Vassell would still be a worthy investment considering he's only 24 years old and fits with the young core they are developing. Even if he's a highly effective sixth man, he still gives the Hawks a very useful piece that they can use in their pursuit of a playoff berth next season. Gambling on Vassell being a more consistent player by sending a first-round pick to San Antonio would be a relatively low-risk investment.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal: Giving up a first-round pick always carries some amount of risk and Vassell had a down season last year primarily because he struggled with consistency. He is also under contract for the next three seasons and that could be a problem if this deal doesn't work for the Hawks.

Why the Suns would do this deal: While the Suns might want to acquire Vassell instead, he is under contract for the next three seasons and the Suns need to be focused on clearing long-term cap space. By acquiring Barnes, they swap Durant out for a veteran forward who had one of his better seasons last year. He shot a staggering 43.3% on three-pointers last season while taking 4.4 of them a game - it isn't a perfect replacement for Durant, but Phoenix can keep some shooting in the lineup even without KD. Barnes also finished in the 98th percentile for TOV% across all wings and in the 61st percentile for foul drawing. He's very capable of being the third scorer for a Suns team that already has Devin Booker and Bradley Beal as scorers. Furthermore, Barnes suited up for all 82 games and did a lot of little things right for a Spurs team that needed his veteran example. Those things could be valuable on a Suns team that has undergone a lot of turnover in recent years. Most importantly, his deal expires at the end of the season and the Suns will have an additional $19 million in cap space to work with next year. Terance Mann didn't have a stellar first season with the Hawks, but he's a solid role player who contributes defensively and can work off-bal around established scorers. If he has a good season for Phoenix, he can be flipped at the trade deadline for additional assets. It is also incredibly important for Phoenix to start getting some draft picks so that they can get cost-controlled talent on their team and adding the 14th overall pick in this draft helps them do exactly that.

Why the Suns would not do this deal: The main hang-ups for Phoenix in this move would be not getting an established piece for Durant and adding another long-term contract to their books in Mann. Barnes is a good player, but he's 33 years old and probably won't be able to replicate anything close to the offensive role Durant had for the Suns. Furthermore, the 14th pick of this draft may not be high enough for the Suns to consider it appropriate value.

Why the Spurs would do this deal: Despite his age, Durant remains one of the best scorers in basketball. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 52.7/43/83.9 shooting splits last season and the Spurs are searching for players on the wing that can effectively complement Wembenyama. A starting lineup of Harper, Fox, Castle, Durant and Wembenyama would have an interesting blend of young talent and proven scorers in Wembenyama, Fox and Durant. He is declining as an individual defender, but still has value on that end due to his massive size. San Antonio also takes a development swing on a talented backup point guard with defensive upside in Kobe Bufkin - if he stays healthy, this deal could be a coup for a Spurs team still building out its rotation. They also move up one spot in the draft by way of getting a first-round pick from the Hawks in exchange for Durant. Losing Vassell hurts significantly less if they are able to get one of the best high-volume wing shooters of all time.

Why the Spurs would not do this deal: The concern over a move like this would be whether it fits San Antonio's timeline at all. They would still have ample cap space to add more talent, but the focus should be on adding cost-controlled rotation players around Wembanyama and this deal doesn't necessarily accomplish that. Due to still building their roster, the Spurs may be too far away from contention to fully realize the benefits of having Durant on the team.

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