Kevin Durant is facing a crossroads with many paths at the moment. It’s rare in the NBA that a player has such influence on where he gets traded to. In most cases, the player could even be the last to find out about a pending trade(our minds go back to the shocking Luka Doncic trade). But Kevin Durant is no ordinary player. Durant has been on the trading block since February and has expressed his preferred trade destinations to the management of the Suns. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean he will get to choose where he is traded to, but his wishes are being considered at least.
The Phoenix Suns needed to implement some changes
The Suns ended the season with a 36-46 record in 11th place in the Western Conference. They also had the highest payroll in the NBA. When we compare their results to their payroll, something has to change. And change it did. The Suns implemented organizational changes by hiring Jordan Ott as their new coach and naming executive Brian Gregory as the new general manager.
Kevin Durant has a long list of potential suitors
In February, the writing was already on the wall as far as a Kevin Durant trade. The Suns nearly traded Durant to the Golden State Warriors in a trade deadline day deal. However, once Kevin Durant learned of the potential trade, he stated that he did not wish to reunite with Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr in San Francisco, and the deal fizzled out.
As the season progressed, Kevin Durant continued his dominant performances despite the situation in Phoenix. He averaged 26.8 points per game since joining the Phoenix Suns, a franchise record. Now that the offseason is upon us, the potential suitors for a Kevin Durant trade are vast, to say the least. Shams Charania, ESPN reporter and NBA whisperer, reported that 6-8 teams have formally made their interest in Kevin Durant known in some shape or form.
What are Kevin Durant’s preferred destinations for a trade?
- San Antonio Spurs – The San Antonio Spurs are due for a title run. One main contributor to that potential success is Victor Wembanyama, who is due to make a return from a long-term injury that kept him out for a large chunk of this season. The Spurs have the cap room and draft capital to sign Kevin Durant and build their young squad around the mentorship of the 15-time All-Star.
- Houston Rockets – The Houston Rockets have bided their time as they quietly develop a seriously impressive roster of young All-Stars like Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr, and Amen Thompson. The Rockets have also extended the contract of their big man, Steven Adams. So if Kevin Durant joins the Rockets, they have a title-contending squad ready to go and challenge the likes of OKC.
We must keep in mind that these are only the preferred destinations for Kevin Durant and that the Suns have made it very clear that if the deal is right, they would trade KD to a team outside of his preferred destinations. Shams Charania had this to say about the KD trade situation:
“The Suns have made clear to the six to eight seriously interested teams that they will make the best deal for the franchise, even if it means trading Durant to a team outside his preferred list.”
Will Kevin Durant dictate where he gets traded to?
As we mentioned before, an NBA player rarely gets to dictate where he gets traded to, but Kevin Durant is no ordinary NBA player. He is a two-time champion and has a reputation as one of the best to ever play the game. The money surrounding the world of the NBA is astounding, and wherever KD eventually goes, he will be eligible in July for a two-year contract extension worth a reported $122 million. At age 37, Kevin Durant is in the twilight of his career and is aiming to win at least one more championship, where he ends up doing that remains to be seen.
