Wild 4-Team Trade Idea Sends Suns' Kevin Durant to Contender

The Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves have been connected in Kevin Durant trade rumors for months.

The Wolves have been to the Western Conference Finals in each of the last two years, and acquiring Durant could help their chances of getting to the NBA Finals for the first time in their franchise's history.

That's why CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn conjured a four-team trade idea with the Suns, Wolves, Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets that would send Durant to Minnesota.

Here's a look at the full trade:

Suns get: Julius Randle, Mike Conley, Goga Bitadze, Terrence Shannon Jr., No. 25 pick

Magic get: Donte DiVincenzo

Timberwolves get: Kevin Durant

Nets get: Gary Harris, No. 46 pick

"We've talked about two asset-rich teams holding their best stuff back. Now, we're talking about an asset-poor team holding its best stuff back. Jaden McDaniels is off-limits. Phoenix would surely be interested in a trade centered around Rudy Gobert. He's one of the best defensive floor-raisers of all time, and Phoenix needs rim-protection badly. But Minnesota needs Gobert for its own championship push. Randle and Naz Reid are already pretty duplicative. That works out fine with a top defender in the mix, but without one, Minnesota's roster is tilted too heavily towards offense," Quinn wrote.

"So here's our compromise. Phoenix gets Randle to serve as Booker's offensive sidekick. He has some leverage here because of his player option, so the Suns would have to sign him to an extension to convince him to participate."

The deal basically gives the Suns two first-round picks as Terrence Shannon Jr. is coming off his rookie season. He has a lot of upside, so that could help Phoenix in the long run.

In the short term, the Suns would extend Randle and add Bitadze, who could become the team's starting center.

It's a trade with a lot of moving parts, but if it were to work, the Suns would have a good launch pad to get things back on track.