The Minnesota Timberwolves have reportedly been the most aggressive team in trade talks for Kevin Durant. That may be why Durant is being so vocal about not going there.
Two days after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Durant wanted to be traded to the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs or Miami Heat, Charania relayed the news that Durant had “no desire” to play for the Timberwolves. The specificity of the report suggests that the Wolves likely have made the most appealing offer for the 14-time All-Star.
As for Durant’s preferred teams, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on “Get Up” that the Rockets, Spurs and Heat had not made trade proposals for Durant that had gotten Phoenix “excited.”
Windhorst also called Minnesota the “favorite” to add Durant, since it had been “the most aggressive team in these trade talks.” The Timberwolves also tried to acquire Durant at last season’s trade deadline, though talks fell through and they reached the Western Conference Finals anyway.
The big question is how much leverage the 36-year-old Durant has with one year left on his contract. He and his camp can leak whatever they want to NBA insiders about where he wants to play, but the Suns have no obligation to accede to his wishes. Durant is under contract and teams might be willing to risk getting him as just a one-year rental, no matter how disgruntled he might be now.
It’s not clear that the Rockets want to trade for Durant at all. Jake Fischer reported that Houston is “exceedingly reluctant” to give up assets for a player much older than their core, while neither the Spurs nor Heat can send the Suns a star to help them win next season.
That opens the door for the Timberwolves, who could trade either Julius Randle, Naz Reid or both to Phoenix, if they opt into next year’s contract then extend with Phoenix. It also opens the door for teams like the L.A. Clippers, who could reunite Durant with James Harden, or the Toronto Raptors, who Fischer suggested could part with some combination of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and center Jakob Poeltl in a Durant deal.
We may know if the Clippers or Raptors are moving closer to a deal if Charania reports that Durant doesn’t want to go there, either. Unfortunately for the two-time champ, he doesn’t get to make the ultimate decision on where he ends up.
