The first NBA blockbuster trade of the summer was a stunner, as Desmond Bane getting dealt to the Orlando Magic was not the move anyone anticipated prior to the draft.
While the Grizzlies and Magic worked out that deal in secrecy, the Phoenix Suns are in the unenviable position of having to find a trade for Kevin Durant with the entire league knowing they’re moving him. Adding to their stress is the fact Durant is leveraging his way to a preferred destination, shutting down the idea of a trade to the Timberwolves as he angles to get to the Rockets, Spurs or Heat.
Those three teams are all well aware that they are the only three destinations Durant is interested in, and they are not interested in creating an unnecessary bidding war. While Miami’s potential offer can’t change much because they just don’t have a ton in the way of assets, Houston and San Antonio each have a treasure chest of draft assets and exciting young players they could use to get this deal done at any time. However, they are wisely choosing not to, and with a week left until the 2025 NBA Draft there is an apparent stalemate on the Kevin Durant trade front.
Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line added the latest report that the Rockets and Spurs were not interested in offering asset-heavy deals for Durant, noting those teams understand Phoenix’s desperation and are skeptical of parting with a huge package of future assets for a 37-year-old. That comes on the heels of Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reporting earlier this week that the Suns have “no leverage” in Durant trade talks, and as a result the league is in a bit of a holding pattern.
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The reason the Durant trade saga is so important is not just that it’s a future Hall of Famer on the move who could have a big impact on playoff races next year, but that he needs to be the first domino to fall to clear the way for other moves. As such, other teams will wait to see if the Suns can get any of those three teams to finally make an offer they deem acceptable or find a third team willing to take on the risk of trading for Durant on an expiring with no guarantee he stays beyond one year.
Among the next dominos to fall after KD, The Stein Line also reported that DeMar DeRozan is “widely perceived to be available” from the Kings before next week’s Draft, but that potential suitors include the Heat, who won’t be making any moves prior to resolution on the Durant situation. Miami is expected to be aggressive in pursuing some kind of upgrade if they don’t land KD, but those alternatives are all Plan B. That includes a potential Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade with the Warriors, as Miami has reportedly registered interest in the restricted free agent if they can’t work out a deal for Durant.
While Miami is perhaps more desperate than most given their roster situation, Houston and San Antonio will be in a similar position if they don’t get Durant. As noted above, while the Heat are limited in what they can offer — and thus the caliber of player they can pursue — the Spurs and Rockets have the kind of assets to make a run at just about anyone in their quest to upgrade their talented young rosters.
They could look to Boston to see if the Celtics are willing to part with one of their key pieces as they look to restructure their roster and cap sheet a bit with Jayson Tatum out for the next year. Perhaps they could make a run at Lauri Markkanen to find the wing scorer they desire if they miss out on Durant. Or, they could pry away a name we don’t even view as being on the trade market, much like Orlando did with Desmond Bane, by making an asset-heavy offer a team simply can’t refuse.
However, none of that happens until a Durant trade is finalized, and we might see this saga drag on until Draft day, as that will create something of a mini-deadline that can create pressure on all sides to make something happen.
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