{"id":99869,"date":"2025-06-15T06:46:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T06:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/99869\/"},"modified":"2025-06-15T06:46:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T06:46:11","slug":"could-the-nets-and-suns-be-involved-in-a-kevin-durant-trade-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/99869\/","title":{"rendered":"Could the Nets and Suns be involved in a Kevin Durant trade again?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Durant is on an expiring $54.7 million deal for 2025-26, and the Suns have made clear to six-to-eight seriously interested teams that they will make the best deal for the franchise \u2013 even outside of his preferred list of Miami, San Antonio and Houston. https:\/\/t.co\/rz2Imn2lnU<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Nets<\/a> once had superstar Kevin Durant on the roster in what seems like a different timeline given how many NBA fans believed that Durant would lead the Nets<\/a> to championship contention. Brooklyn made the best decision under the circumstances by trading Durant to the Phoenix Suns<\/a> during the 2022-23 season, but it seems like the Nets could be involved in another Durant trade.<\/p>\n

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Saturday that Durant prefers to be traded to the Miami Heat<\/a>, San Antonio Spurs<\/a>, or Houston Rockets<\/a> if the Suns decide to trade him this offseason. Given the state of Phoenix’s roster along with the fact that the team seems to have run its course with Durant, many around the league believe<\/a> that the Suns will trade Durant sooner or later to hopefully build the right roster around Devin Booker.<\/p>\n

How this relates to the Nets is the notion that most teams won’t have the cap space to take on Durant’s contract, he’s owed $54.7 million next season on an expiring deal, so if those teams were going to acquire Durant, they would need a third team to take on salary to make the finances work. For a team like Brooklyn that is projected to have the most cap space in the NBA by far this summer, that gives them an opportunity to gain more assets.<\/p>\n

Similar to how Nets Wire covered a scenario in which Brooklyn could alleviate<\/a> the Boston Celtics’ ever-growing checkbook by taking on someone like center Kristaps Porzingis with draft assets and\/or young players as compensation, the Nets could be in a similar scenario with any of the teams hoping to land Durant. Ahead of the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, all three teams were considered<\/a> to have little-to-no cap space.<\/p>\n

The incentive for the Nets to help one of these teams acquire Durant is the possibility that Brooklyn would be given draft capital and\/or young players for “renting” out their cap space in order to make the deal work. Not only could the Nets get better in the process, but they would add to their cache of first-round picks that have them in a great position to consistently bring in multiple prospects every season.<\/p>\n