Report: No Significant Traction on Suns, Heat Kevin Durant Trade

Kevin Durant will likely remain in Phoenix after the trade deadline.

Jan 16, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) looks on during the first quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- With the Golden State Warriors out of the mix for a potential trade for Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant, it appears there are only two options left for Durant's future this season: a trade to the Miami Heat involving Jimmy Butler or staying with the Suns.

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported on X that a Heat trade would be pretty unlikely ahead of Thursday's 1:00 p.m. MST trade deadline:

"There doesn't appear to be significant traction on a deal with the Heat and Suns involving Durant like there was with the Warriors before those talks fell apart.

"As stated last night, with KD out of the mix, the Warriors are focused on Butler at the moment."

There doesn't appear to be significant traction on a deal with the Heat and Suns involving Durant like there was with the Warriors before those talks fell apart.

As stated last night, with KD out of the mix, the Warriors are focused on Butler at the moment. https://t.co/h536tYBSnh

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) February 5, 2025

Both the Suns and Heat are very limited in how they can construct a trade due to apron rules in the NBA. With the Suns over the second-tax apron, they cannot aggregate salaries in deals or take back more money than they send out.

The Heat are over the first-tax apron, so they can't take back more money than they send out.

Because of these reasons, any trade between Miami and Phoenix would almost certainly have to involve a third or fourth team, but even then it would be hard to justify trading Durant (makes $51.2 million this season) away for Butler (makes $48.8 million this season) and limited assets.

Phoenix has long been tied to Butler, but was believed to be wanting to pair him alongside Durant and Devin Booker.

Additionally, Durant reportedly does not want to be traded from the Suns, who are currently massively underachieving with their record-breaking payroll at 25-24 so far on the season.

The Suns keep popping up in seemingly every trade rumor, but have yet to make a trade this week with around 20 hours left until the deadline.