{"id":99162,"date":"2025-06-14T22:52:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T22:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/99162\/"},"modified":"2025-06-14T22:52:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T22:52:26","slug":"timberwolves-rumors-insider-reveals-why-kevin-durant-trade-is-incredibly-difficult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/99162\/","title":{"rendered":"Timberwolves rumors: Insider reveals why Kevin Durant trade is \u2018incredibly difficult\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The post Timberwolves rumors: Insider reveals why Kevin Durant trade is \u2018incredibly difficult\u2019<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> may face major obstacles<\/a> in any pursuit of Phoenix Suns<\/a> star Kevin Durant, according to NBA insider Kevin O\u2019Connor. Speaking on the latest episode of The Kevin O\u2019Connor Show, the analyst broke down the salary cap challenges that make a Durant trade unlikely for Minnesota \u2014 at least in the immediate future.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMinnesota before July 1 is a second apron team,\u201d O\u2019Connor explained. \u201cSo they can\u2019t aggregate salaries until July 1. So if you\u2019re talking Minnesota, it\u2019s incredibly difficult to put a [KD] deal together, which is why with the Suns rushing things here, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s Minnesota.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second apron refers to the NBA\u2019s newest and most restrictive luxury tax tier, designed to penalize teams that exceed the salary cap by a significant margin. Until the 2025-26 league year begins on July 1, the Timberwolves are restricted from combining player salaries to match Durant\u2019s $54.7 million contract in trade scenarios.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connor noted that while a deal could theoretically be constructed after that date, it would require extensive planning and mutual patience from both parties.<\/p>\n

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\u201cUnless you agree in advance and wait until July to make the deal when Minnesota will not be a second apron team and therefore be able to aggregate salaries\u2026 sign-and-trade Naz Reid, etc. So, there\u2019s a lot of moving parts here, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the Wolves if it happens before July 1,\u201d O\u2019Connor said.<\/p>\n

Timberwolves linked to Kevin Durant trade but face timing hurdles as surprise suitor could emerge\"Mark<\/p>\n

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Timberwolves, who reached the Western Conference Finals in 2025<\/a> behind breakout performances from Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, have emerged as a rumored suitor for Durant amid ongoing speculation regarding the forward\u2019s future in Phoenix. However, the timing of the Suns\u2019 internal decisions \u2014 particularly the urgency to resolve Durant\u2019s situation early in the offseason<\/a> \u2014 complicates Minnesota\u2019s window for serious engagement.<\/p>\n

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O\u2019Connor added that other reported teams like the Miami Heat<\/a> may also face logistical and fit-related questions. Instead, he speculated that a less-discussed franchise could emerge as a surprise trade partner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be surprised if it\u2019s the Wolves, I\u2019d be surprised if it\u2019s the Heat\u2026 why Miami?!\u201d O\u2019Connor said. \u201cAnd with Houston, I get that Houston makes a lot of sense \u2014 they have the picks, they could give Phoenix their picks back \u2014 but still can\u2019t help but think it\u2019s somebody that we\u2019re not talking about. A team that is going to come out of nowhere and say we want KD for one year, just like Kawhi [Leonard] to Toronto, just like Paul George to Oklahoma City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Durant, 36, remains under contract with the Suns but has been at the center of trade rumors since the February deadline<\/a>. He averaged 26.6 points, six rebounds, and 4.2 assists in the 2024-25 season, though Phoenix missed the playoffs with a 36-46 record.<\/p>\n

While Minnesota remains a potential long-term destination<\/a>, cap restrictions and Phoenix\u2019s urgency may steer Durant\u2019s next move elsewhere \u2014 possibly to a team yet to enter the public conversation.<\/p>\n

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Related: Stephen A. Smith\u2019s Kevin Durant-Heat fit comes with Timberwolves warning<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: Timberwolves\u2019 10 worst NBA Draft day mistakes in history<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The post Timberwolves rumors: Insider reveals why Kevin Durant trade is \u2018incredibly difficult\u2019 appeared first on ClutchPoints. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3782],"tags":[375,7,292,376,938,2884,189,307,152,3954,520,6,21266,526,472,308,680],"class_list":{"0":"post-99162","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-timberwolves","8":"tag-anthony-edwards","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-houston","11":"tag-julius-randle","12":"tag-kevin-durant","13":"tag-kevin-oconnor","14":"tag-miami-heat","15":"tag-minnesota","16":"tag-minnesota-timberwolves","17":"tag-minnesotatimberwolves","18":"tag-naz-reid","19":"tag-nba","20":"tag-oconnor","21":"tag-paul-george","22":"tag-phoenix-suns","23":"tag-timberwolves","24":"tag-toronto"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114684175777850821","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}