NBA Trade Rumors: Insider Says Atlanta Pursued Kevin Durant Hard At The Trade Deadline

The trade deadline is long gone and teams are heading towards the playoffs looking to make a run. Two of those teams are the Atlanta Hawks and the Phoenix Suns and while neither team is going to make a deep run in the playoffs, they were two teams that had very active deadlines, each for different reasons. The Suns were trying to add to their already expensive roster to try and make one more run, but they were unable to make a deal for any significant player. They were reportedly heavily involved in Jimmy Butler trade talks, but nothing came of it. The Hawks ended up trading De'Andre Hunter to the Cavaliers for Caris LeVert and Georges Niang, then in a separate deal, sent Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Los Angeles Clippers for Terance Mann. The Atlanta Hawks made good moves that gave them more depth and cap flexibility, but no major moves for a star.

But apparently it was not from a lack of trying.

One of the most popular names at the trade deadline was future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant. There were reportedly teams calling about Durant, but Phoenix ended up keeping him. While teams like Golden State were mentioned most often for Durant, the Hawks were one of the teams pushing hard for him. According to Clutchpoints NBA insider Brett Seigel, Atlanta made a push for Durant at the deadline:

"One surprise team that pursued Durant hard at the trade deadline with other teams making calls to Phoenix was the Atlanta Hawks, sources said. The Hawks, who were also in trade discussions with the New Orleans Pelicans on a deal centered around Brandon Ingram before he was traded to the Toronto Raptors, have been searching for another star to play alongside Trae Young.

Could the Hawks take a massive gamble on Durant in the final year of his contract to try and figure things out quickly around Young? With Capela becoming a free agent and likely departing, along with other players on expiring contracts, it's unlikely that Atlanta has the assets and money to make a trade for Durant."

Now, rumors are rumors, but if true, this could be something to monitor heading into the Summer. It will be fascinating to see what the asking price for Durant would be and if the Hawks would be willing to pay it. While he is still playing at an elite level, Durant is 37 years old and heading into the final year of his contract. The other thing to consider is if Durant would even want to play in Atlanta.

The fit would be pretty obvious, as Durant fits in with any team in the league. He would give the Hawks a scoring boost and be a secondary ball-handler to help take pressure off of Trae Young. Young has made it clear that he wants to win and making a move for Durant would signal that the Hawks are ready to take the next step towards trying to be a contender.

This could end up being totally nothing, but keep an eye on Durant rumors this Summer.

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