Kevin Durant is all but certain to get traded this summer as the Phoenix Suns look to shed his $54 million salary following a disappointing couple of seasons with the superstar forward on the roster.
With the offseason rapidly approaching rumors around Durant's trade market have heated up in a big way during the NBA Finals. On Monday, ESPN's Shams Charania dug into the other side of that discussion— what Durant wants. The NBA insider reports KD has three preferred teams in mind, should Phoenix go ahead and trade him.
Those three teams? The Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat.
"I'm told the Phoenix Suns remain in active conversations around the league on a Kevin Durant deal," Charania said. "But their focus in the last several days has been on three teams. That's the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Timberwolves. We know his preferred destinations, though, are the Rockets, Spurs, and the Heat."
Shams: "I'm told Kevin Durant has no desire to be in Minnesota with the Timberwolves"
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 16, 2025
No KD-Ant duo anymore pic.twitter.com/4SxnaO3LLc
Durant has been linked to all those teams in some capacity already so the report lines up. And they have their individual benefits, too.
The Suns would undoubtedly prefer the Rockets because Houston owns several of Phoenix's draft picks over the next few years. A Durant trade makes for a prime opportunity to reacquire those selections, giving the Suns significantly more control over their future moving forward. But the Rockets know that as well and won't be quick to give them up. Durant would make for a perfect addition to the roster, though, and as the No. 2 seed in the West last year Houston makes for the most competitive team of Durant's three preferred landing spots.
The Spurs seem to be on the verge of championship contention as Victor Wembanyama enters his third season. Assuming he recovers well from the blood clot issue that ended his 2024–25 campaign Wemby appears ready to take the leap and become a superstar. Durant could certainly do worse than hitch his wagon to the Wembanyama train as he enters his age-37 season.
The Heat are the least competitive of the three choices, finishing last season at 37-45 before getting utterly crushed in the first round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joining their team comes with great benefits, though, namely living in Miami and enjoying a lack of income tax. Erik Spoelstra is a talented head coach and Pat Riley isn't afraid of taking big swings so it's not crazy to believe Miami could make a run with Durant teaming up with Bam Adebayo. A lot would have to go right, though, more so than in the other spots.
It's fun to imagine what could be. However, the Suns are not obligated to cater to his preferences. It will be fascinating to see if they do as trade season inches closer.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Three Teams Kevin Durant Would Prefer to Be Traded To.
