The 2024-25 NBA season came to an anticlimactic end for Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. A 36-46 season saw the franchise miss the postseason for the first time since 2020.
For most of the year, headlines focused on whether Durant would stay or go, heating up around February’s trade deadline before the superstar ultimately finished the season in Phoenix. However, Durant’s future with the Suns is far from decided, as the trade talk was simply deferred from the deadline to the offseason.
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During his podcast with The Hoop Collective, Brian Windhorst explained the three hurdles that must be cleared for Durant to find a new home next season.
Windhorst’s first two points make the most sense, but the third will likely be the most difficult for the parties involved in the trade to reach.
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant.© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
First, Durant must want to go to that team as he wants to be in control of the final seasons of his playing career. Second, the Suns must want to do a deal and agree to it.
Third, the new franchise must agree upon Durant’s contractual future. The 36-year-old superstar has one season left on his deal and carries a cap hit of $54.7 million.
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The most heavily-rumored destination for Durant is the Houston Rockets. The Hoop Collective’s Tim MacMahon points out the Rockets are “reluctant” to reduce their timeline as the franchise believes they have a bright future given their young roster and bevy of future draft picks, including three 2027 first-round selections.
The Rockets’ core of Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and Tari Eason are all 23 years old and younger. Keeping that group intact in a trade for Durant seems near-impossible.
Ramona Flowers continued the dialogue by stating that a trade to send Durant out did not happen because Phoenix “wanted a lot” in return for its superstar, and the franchise views the two-time NBA champion as its only big trade piece.
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