Lakers Legend Magic Johnson Weighs in on Kevin Durant Trade Rumors

The former Lakers guard weighs in on Kevin Durant's future.

Mar 30, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) fight for position in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

One of the things that seems to be a complete certainty this offseason is that Kevin Durant will be traded in the offseason. He has already instructed his business partner to start looking at other teams.

While the Los Angeles Lakers don't have much of a chance to land him in a trade this offseason, there are some other teams that do. Durant will still be a hot topic of conversation this summer.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson never asked for a trade during his career. He stayed with Los Angeles the entire time he was in the NBA.

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Johnson weighed in on the fact that Durant seems to be asking out of yet another NBA team at his stage of his career while appearing on First Take.

"Kevin Durant is a piece that can actually get you over to win a championship."@MagicJohnson shares the teams he wants to see acquire Kevin Durant ✍️ pic.twitter.com/Edp02OzYfR

— First Take (@FirstTake) June 12, 2025

“Kevin Durant is a piece that can actually get you over to win a championship. I like him if he could come here to New York for the Knicks. Brunson needs help, and he needs help in the fourth quarter. He’s gonna get you there, but then Indiana loaded up against him, and everybody else couldn’t deliver. So they need a guy like Kevin Durant who can say, ‘OK, Brunson, you get us there but I’m gonna take us home….”

Johnson seems to think that he would be a good fit with the New York Knicks. The Knicks would have to offer a significant package in order to acquire him in a trade with Phoenix.

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Johnson believes that Durant is no longer a player who can lead a team to a title. He seems to think that he is more of a complementary piece at this point in his career.

It's hard to dispute that with what has happened in each of the last few years with the Suns. He's not someone that a franchise can build around anymore.

Johnson knows what it means to be the centerpiece of a championship team. He was a key member of five Lakers championships during his playing days.

This season, Durant averaged 26.6 points, six rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

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