Over the weekend, it was reported that Kevin Durant had narrowed his list of preferred destinations. Amidst trade rumors, the Phoenix Suns forward stated that he would like to play for one of the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, or Miami Heat, closing off essentially the rest of the league from taking their shot.
Kevin Durant Trade Rumors Heating Up
On Monday’s version of First Things First on FS1, pundit Nick Wright chimed in on the topic, and even laid out a couple of hypothetical trades for those teams.
Wright started with the Rockets.
After an impressive regular season in which they overachieved, they locked down the no.2 seed in the Western Conference and took the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the first round. But their need for a go-to playoff scoring option was put on display, and Houston has been involved in trade rumors regarding essentially every available star.
.@getnickwright breaks down how a trade between the Suns and Rockets could work to get KD:
“This is the only team on the list that I think could win the Title… Like would be one of the legitimate Title favorites with Durant… I love that fit.” pic.twitter.com/XShrHt4KsB
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) June 16, 2025
In the first of Wright’s hypothetical Kevin Durant trades, Phoenix would acquire Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, as well as a 2027 first round pick. He explains that the Rockets would be an instant title favorite with Durant in the fold, as their depth would allow the 37-year-old to get some rest during the regular season.
Wright highlights Green’s struggles at the end of the season as the reason why Houston could give up on him.
Wright Says Spurs Should Be Cautious In Trading For Durant
Then, the focus turned to the Spurs.
Wright stated that San Antonio should only be interested in Kevin Durant if they are in a win-now situation. He highlighted Victor Wembanyama, and said that it would only make sense if the Spurs viewed him as a top-10 player already. Co-host Chris Broussard reiterated that the Rockets might be in a similar “build for the future” mentality that might deter Durant.
“It only makes sense to me if they think Wemby already is like a bonafide top 10 player and can be the best player on a champion and our window is right now.”
— @getnickwright on a potential Suns-Spurs trade pic.twitter.com/Kd3JdEdHfp
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) June 16, 2025
His hypothetical trade has the Spurs sending Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and a 2027 first round pick to the Suns. That would mean that San Antonio could keep their entire core intact while also keeping the second overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Things are likely to heat up over the next week. This offseason as been predicted to be a wild one in terms of players changing teams, and deals involving this year’s draft picks would need to be done before the 2025 NBA Draft, which is scheduled for June 25th.
According to recent reports, the Suns would like to get a deal done as soon as possible.
