Kevin Durant's days with the Phoenix Suns may come to a close over the offseason after a tumultuous season in the desert and rampant trade rumors surrounding the NBA trade deadline this past February.
A potential reunion between Durant and the Golden State Warriors fell apart at the deadline, which kept the 15-time All-Star in Phoenix for the rest of the season. The Minnesota Timberwolves were rumored to make a last-minute effort to acquire Durant at the deadline, too, and ESPN's Brian Windhorst isn't ruling out the Wolves as a potential Durant suitor in an offseason trade.
On ESPN's Hoop Collective podcast, Windhorst said "it became clear to me in talking to the parties involved just how serious the Wolves were about trying to trade for Durant at the trade deadline.” He explained the Wolves were certainly in a different situation in February before they made a postseason run to the Western Conference finals, but that shouldn't rule out a potential future deal.
Brian Windhorst on the Timberwolves and Kevin Durant 👀👀
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"It became clear to me in talking to the parties involved just how serious the Wolves were about trying to trade for Kevin Durant at the trade deadline.”
(Via Hoop Collective) pic.twitter.com/lAgyCpIiPX
Although Timberwolves president Tim Connelly has an opt-out in his contract this offseason and the team will need to lock him down, he has made a number of splashy offseason trades in recent memory. He brought in Rudy Gobert in 2022 and made the big trade last offseason to send Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick. With Connelly's history of big trades, Windhorst isn't ruling out the possibility that the Wolves go big-game hunting should he sign a new deal to stay in Minnesota.
"The point is, this wasn't just like 'well, we're not doing anything on trade deadline day.' They made some sort of progress," Windhorst continued on a potential Durant-to-Minnesota trade. "Getting it done was impossible because they are two second apron teams. But after both of [Randle and Naz Reid] opt out, the Wolves will not be a second apron team."
With Minnesota and Phoenix both held by restrictions of the second apron, an in-season deal became unrealistic. But, both Randle and Reid have player options in their contracts for next season, providing a path for Minnesota to avoid the second apron should both players opt out of their deals and become free agents. The Wolves can choose to re-sign one or both players and become restricted by the salary tax aprons again, but Windhorst suggests that offseason moves and Connelly's trade history could make a Durant trade possible.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Brian Windhorst Makes Major Reveal on Timberwolves' Kevin Durant Trade Aspirations.
