ESPN Insider Names Five Frontrunners to Land Kevin Durant in Trade

The Suns forward's future is murky.
Kevin Durant watches a WNBA game between the Valkyries and Sparks.
Kevin Durant watches a WNBA game between the Valkyries and Sparks. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

At 36, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant finds himself at a crossroads.

His stint with the Suns appears to be over after parts of three seasons, with Phoenix seemingly looking to move his $55 million salary in a contract year before the 2026 season. On Wednesday, ESPN's Shams Charania pinpointed five teams that could be in play for his services.

"Teams that have expressed interest in Durant, sources said, mainly feature the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks," Charania wrote. "Several wild-card suitors have made inquiries on Durant in the past seven to 10 days."

The Rockets earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs after a breakthrough season, while the Spurs are home to the game's most exciting young player in center Victor Wembanyama. Heat president Pat Riley has signaled that Miami will tinker with its roster, while the Timberwolves and Knicks were both conference finalists in 2025.

Even diminished by age, Durant remains a 26 point-per-game scorer. It may not be 2019 anymore, but the future Hall of Famer's movement still bears watching.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .