Knicks Reportedly Won’t Pursue Kevin Durant Trade
The Knicks have been viewed as major players in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, but a league source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that New York won’t be pursuing the Suns star.
A report this morning from ESPN’s Shams Charania identified the Knicks as one of the teams that have expressed interest in acquiring Durant. He also mentioned the Rockets, Spurs, Heat and Timberwolves, but said other clubs have made inquiries as well. According to Charania, the Suns and Durant’s business partner, Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman, are reviewing trade scenarios with the expectation that talks will intensify before the first night of the draft.
If the Knicks have decided not to make an offer, it’s likely due to reluctance to break up a roster that just reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Durant will make $54.7MM next season, which is the last year of his current contract, and he’ll be looking for an extension with his next team.
To match salaries in a Durant trade, New York would either have to part with Karl-Anthony Towns, who is owed $53.1MM next year, or give up multiple rotation players. The Knicks made major changes last summer by trading for Towns and Mikal Bridges and may not be eager to shake up the roster again.
Durant’s age could also be a factor into the Knicks’ decision. He’ll turn 37 in September, and although he’s coming off another productive season — averaging 26.6 PPG while shooting 52.7% from the field and 43% from three-point range — he missed 20 games and his durability might become a greater issue as he gets older.
The Knicks are built around a team of relatively young veterans, with Towns and Josh Hart as the oldest rotation members at age 30, and they may not want to shorten their window as title contenders by giving up major assets to bring in Durant.
The Knicks heavily pursued Durant in free agency in 2019, when he was recovering from a torn Achilles. Bondy states that Durant’s father, Wayne, was pushing him to sign with New York at the time, but he opted for Brooklyn instead.
Heat Notes: Jaquez, Durant, Young Roster, Herro
Following a disappointing second season in the NBA, Heat guard Jaime Jaquez is already focused on turning things around, he told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
“When the season ended, I took some time away just to decompress, gather my thoughts, really get to a place of peace,” Jaquez said. “Now I’m full steam ahead. I’ve been in the gym every single day, working on my mind, body, spirit, my jump shot, defense. Really just getting my body and mind in tune to get ready for this next season.”
Jaquez averaged fewer points (8.6 per game compared to 11.9 as a rookie) while shooting a worse percentage from the field (46.1% this season compared to 48.9%) and three-point range (31.1% compared to 32.2%). Jaquez’s offseason goals include developing a better mental approach.
“I’m working with a mental coach to try to just help myself become present in the moments, try to tune out all the noise and just really focus on what’s important,” he said.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Miami does indeed have interest in trading for Suns forward Kevin Durant, as ESPN’s Shams Charania stated on Wednesday, but only at the “right price,” Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald report. Miami has tried to trade for the 15-time All-Star in the past. The Heat have two assets that could grease the skids for a trade — a skilled young center in Kel’el Ware, the type of big man Phoenix reportedly covets, and Duncan Robinson’s partially guaranteed contract. It’s unknown whether the Heat would offer Ware in a Durant trade. The Herald duo maps out possible trade scenarios that would work financially for both sides.
- Do the Heat have too many young players? That’s an unusual dilemma for a team that has been criticized in the past for relying on too many veterans, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes. The Heat hold the No. 20 pick draft and they’re considering all options. “It’s a good question, certainly having a lot of young players,” said Adam Simon, the Heat’s vice president, basketball operations and assistant GM. “We’ve been here on the other side, where we were told we were told we didn’t have enough young players.”
- A potential Tyler Herro extension presents complications for the front office, Chiang writes in his latest mailbag. Beginning on Oct. 1, Herro is eligible to add a three-year, $149.7MM extension to the two seasons he has left on his current deal. If an agreement is not reached on an extension by Oct. 20, Herro would be eligible to sign a four-year, $206.9MM extension next offseason. With Bam Adebayo already signed to a max extension, giving Herro that type of long-term security would hamstring the club’s efforts to fit in another high-salary star player.
- In case you missed it, Luke Adams offered his comprehensive offseason preview of the Heat to our Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers last week.
Suns, Durant Sifting Through Trade Scenarios
The Suns and Kevin Durant‘s business partner, Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman, have met multiple times over the past week and are sifting through trade scenarios, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
The Rockets, Spurs, Heat, Timberwolves and Knicks are among the teams that have expressed interest in trading for the 15-time All-Star forward.
Several other suitors beyond those five teams have made inquiries on Durant in the past seven-to-10 days, Charania notes. Talks are expected to escalate before the draft, which takes place in two weeks.
After a colossally disappointing season in which the Suns didn’t make the playoffs, there has been an expectation that Durant will be moved. The Suns engaged in trade talks involving Durant prior to February’s deadline and nearly traded him to Golden State, which seemingly caught Durant by surprise and was something he didn’t want at the time.
Matching salaries could be a challenge for some teams and draft capital could be key for the Suns, who desperately need to replenish their draft stock. The latter issue makes it preferable for a Durant deal to be in place over the next two weeks.
Durant has a $54.7MM salary next season, the last year of his current contract, and his desire for an extension could prove to be a critical factor in where he lands, says Charania.
Once he is traded, Durant will be eligible to sign a two-year contract extension on July 6 worth as much as $112MM. After a six-month waiting period, he could instead sign a two-year extension worth up to $124MM.
Trade Rumors: Giannis, Durant, Spurs, Garland
The trade market for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to be nonexistent, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Tuesday during an appearance on Get Up (YouTube link). As Windhorst explained, despite rampant speculation about the possibility of the two-time MVP being traded this offseason, there has still been no indication that either Antetokounmpo or the Bucks are preparing for that scenario.
“Giannis Antetokounmpo has gone overseas to travel with his family. He has made no trade request to the Bucks. He has made no trade hint to the Bucks,” Windhorst said. “The Bucks are proceeding with their offseason as if Giannis is going to be with them, and there’s no significant trade talks right now. The plan is for Giannis Antetokounmpo to be a Buck.
“Now, he can change all that with a simple request, but that request has not happened and it’s not clear it’s going to happen anytime soon.”
Windhorst’s reporting lines up with what we’ve heard recently from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Both Fischer and Lewis indicated there’s increased skepticism among league sources that Antetokounmpo will end up on the trade block in the coming weeks.
It’s still not a sure thing that Antetokounmpo will open next season in Milwaukee, since trade requests often don’t come this early in the offseason. When Giannis’ current teammate Damian Lillard asked out of Portland in 2023, for example, it happened on July 1.
Still, I wouldn’t necessarily expect Antetokounmpo to wait that long to make a final decision — the further we get into June without a trade request, the better the Bucks have to feel about the odds of it not happening at all this summer.
Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- During that same Get Up appearance (YouTube link), Windhorst confirmed that a Kevin Durant trade is far more likely to happen this offseason than a deal involving Antetokounmpo. He added that the Knicks are among a “handful” of teams expected to talk to the Suns about Durant, but cautioned that salary-matching and tax-apron rules will make it difficult for them to acquire Durant without including Karl-Anthony Towns. Reporting out of Phoenix last week suggested the Suns aren’t enthusiastic about trading for Towns.
- Within an in-depth article exploring the Spurs‘ options with the No. 2 overall pick and considering whether it makes sense to add Dylan Harper to a backcourt that already features De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports cites sources who say San Antonio has explored the idea of packaging its second lottery pick (No. 14) with a player to upgrade its roster.
- With Darius Garland trade rumors percolating, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required) evaluates what a deal involving the point guard might look like for the Cavaliers, discussing three separate hypothetical trades in which Cleveland acquires Jalen Suggs and Tristan Da Silva (from Orlando), Jaden McDaniels, Donte DiVincenzo, and Terrence Shannon (from Minnesota), or Trey Murphy, Kelly Olynyk, and Jose Alvarado (from New Orleans). Fedor also briefly discusses Sacramento’s reported interest in Garland, but suggests it’s not easy to find a match with the Kings.
Nuggets Notes: Porter, GM Candidates, Durant, Repeater Tax
The Nuggets might explore trades involving Michael Porter Jr. this summer, but the most likely scenario has him returning for at least one more season, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post states in a mailbag column. The 26-year-old forward has been the frequent target of trade speculation, but Durando believes he has more value to Denver than he would to any rival team.
Durando notes that team president Josh Kroenke has indicated that he wants to keep the current core together, recently saying, “I think a lot of our answers are internal right now.” That means fans probably shouldn’t expect Porter or any other significant rotation player to be moved this offseason unless the Nuggets receive an offer that’s too good to pass up.
Porter dealt with health concerns early in his career, but he’s been very reliable lately, appearing in 81 and 77 games the past two seasons. He averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists this year with .504/.395/.768 shooting splits, giving Denver a potent outside shooting threat with plenty of experience playing alongside Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.
Durando notes that Denver’s cap situation will become more strained in the 2026/27 season when Gordon will receive a $9MM raise and Christian Braun will likely have a new deal in place. Porter will be an expiring contract by then, so Durando sees a trade as more likely to happen next summer.
There’s more from Denver:
- Interim general manager Ben Tenzer appears to be the leading candidate to fill that role on a permanent basis, Durando adds in the same piece. Tenzer has been handling all the GM duties since Calvin Booth was fired, and Kroenke has complimented his performance. Durando views Minnesota general manager Matt Lloyd as the likely alternative if Tenzer isn’t hired.
- In a separate story, Durando expresses skepticism that the Nuggets can land Kevin Durant, but he lists a few potential trades just in case the Suns star decides he wants to team up with Jokic. One of Durando’s ideas involves Jamal Murray, another includes a combination of Porter and Braun, and a third features a combination of Gordon and Porter. All three options would require a third team because neither Denver or Phoenix can take back more salary than it sends out in a trade.
- The Nuggets will become subject to the repeater tax next season, more than doubling their current tax bill to a projected $42.9MM, cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes in his Third Apron Substack column (subscription required). Gozlan also notes that the team has limited draft assets to offer in trades, making it harder to get rid of unwanted contracts. Denver owns five of its first-round picks over the next seven years, but is only able to trade one in either 2031 or 2032. The only second-round pick the club has available to trade is in 2032.
Atlantic Notes: Durant, Hauser, Nets, Sixers
The Raptors are considered by “numerous NBA figures” to be a potential suitor for Suns star Kevin Durant, Jake Fischer reports for The Stein Line (Substack link), especially if their well-documented interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t come to fruition.
Fischer writes that the pieces the Raptors have assembled would make for a more realistic trade package for Durant, who is not necessarily expected to receive an extension from the team that trades for him, than for Antetokounmpo. If the Bucks star reaches the market, the trade packages teams will put together could put the Raptors out of the running, but with Phoenix likely looking to stay competitive around Devin Booker, the Raptors’ collection of young veterans could prove enticing.
Fischer points to Raptors’ president Masai Ujiri‘s aggressiveness in trading for Kawhi Leonard in 2018, which led to a championship, though this version of the Raptors roster is much less ready to win now than that one was. That said, the team did pursue Durant in 2022, Fischer writes, and there’s a belief that the Raptors have some internal pressure to take real steps forward this coming season. That could lead to the team shopping RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and others.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics are facing an offseason that will require some serious introspection to figure out which players should be retained until Jayson Tatum eventually returns from his torn Achilles, SI’s Chris Mannix said during an NBC Sports Boston appearance. The most likely player to be moved, according to Mannix, is backup wing Sam Hauser. Hauser, an excellent shooter and decent defender, is entering the first season of a four-year, $45MM contract extension, a deal that would cost the team significantly more in luxury tax penalties if he remains on the roster. Mannix adds that rookie Baylor Scheierman could be tapped to fill in Hauser’s role if coach Joe Mazzulla thinks Scheierman ready for it.
- After a down year, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer doesn’t rule out the Sixers attempting to move one of Joel Embiid or Paul George if the team’s struggles continue. However, those contracts are likely to be difficult to trade, given their size and length. Within the same mailbag, Pompey fields a question about the idea of drafting Khaman Maluach with the No. 3 pick, noting that going that route would be an indication that the 76ers have more concern about Embiid’s future than they’ve indicated to this point. Pompey doesn’t view it as a likely scenario.
- The Nets have conducted pre-draft workouts for Johni Broome (Auburn), Taelon Peter (Liberty University), and Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M), according to Nets Daily (via Twitter). While the latter two players are viewed as undrafted free agent targets, Broome is considered a likely late-first or second-round pick. The 6’10” SEC Player of the Year and All-American averaged 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game for Auburn during his senior year.
Latest On Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal
Kelly Iko of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Suns have made multiple calls to the Rockets about Kevin Durant since the end of the season and have “gradually lowered” their asking price for the star forward during those discussions. However, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter links) strongly disputes those claims, referring to them as “beyond untrue.”
According to Gambadoro, the Suns haven’t spoken to the Rockets since February and had put a potential Durant trade on the back-burner while they hired a new general manager and head coach. Now that those tasks have been crossed off their offseason to-do list, they’ll begin having conversations with potential trade partners about Durant, Gambadoro adds.
During a TV appearance on Thursday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania reiterated – as he reported during the season – that there was some mutual interest between Durant and the Knicks prior to February’s trade deadline. According to Charania, New York made an offer for Durant at that time.
A deal involving Devin Booker‘s former Kentucky teammate Karl-Anthony Towns would probably be the simplest way for the Knicks to acquire Durant, since Towns and KD will have very similar cap figures next season. But Gambadoro said during Thursday’s Burns & Gambo show (Twitter video link) that he has heard the Suns don’t have interest in Towns and would prefer a return centered around OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges if they were to make a trade with the Knicks.
Charania cited sources this week who said that Durant is expected to draw serious interest from approximately four to six teams this summer.
Charania has previously identified New York, Golden State, Minnesota, Houston, San Antonio, and Miami as clubs who expressed some level of interest prior to the trade deadline, though it’s not clear whether all of those teams would renew their interest during the offseason. During the Burns & Gambo clip linked above, Gambadoro also pointed to the Clippers as a team to watch for Durant.
Of course, Durant won’t be the Suns’ only big-name trade candidate to monitor in the coming weeks. Bradley Beal is also expected to be on the trade block, but will be far more difficult to move due to his salary (nearly $111MM over the next two years) relative to his production, as well as the fact that his contract contains a no-trade clause.
According to Gambadoro (Twitter links), the Suns don’t want to bring back Beal, but he may be prove to be unmovable this summer, as he was prior to the trade deadline. If that’s the case, the club is expected to explore the possibility of a buyout, but there’s no guarantee that the veteran guard would go for that idea.
If Beal can’t be traded or bought out, the Suns would have to keep him and try to rebuild his value, per Gambadoro (Twitter link), who notes that head coaching candidates during Phoenix’s interview process were asked how they’d use the three-time All-Star.
Latest On Kevin Durant
After reporting before the end of the regular season that there was some mutual interest between the Spurs and Suns star Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, ESPN’s Shams Charania reiterated that point last week during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link). Charania’s reporting has since been confirmed by a plugged-in Phoenix-area insider.
“The team that I heard last night in speaking to somebody pretty close to the situation with KD is keep your eye on the Spurs,” John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 said during the Burns & Gambo show on Tuesday (YouTube link; hat tip to RealGM). “KD could have some interest in the Spurs. That might be a good landing spot for him, with (De’Aaron) Fox and (Victor) Wembanyama and an up-and-coming team on the rise that has a great defensive anchor.”
Gambadoro speculates that a Durant deal with San Antonio might include Harrison Barnes‘ $19MM expiring contract and a young player like Devin Vassell, who will make $27MM next season. While Vassell is primarily a shooting guard like Devin Booker, the Suns figure to prioritize acquiring the best young talent they can, rather than a perfect positional fit.
“You could (say), ‘Oh, you don’t want a guy who plays the same position as Booker,'” Gambadoro continued. “But you might have to take back somebody that plays the same position. You need to get younger talent. You could always trade somebody down the road, or move somebody to small forward instead of the two-guard spot, or you could have somebody be the point guard and not the two guard.”
As Gambadoro observes, the Suns will also likely be seeking draft assets in a deal for Durant, including perhaps a 2025 pick. That’s one reason why he thinks a deal could come together at some point in the coming weeks, prior to free agency.
“I expect – I’m not guaranteeing this, but I would expect – that a KD deal would happen right before the draft,” Gambadoro said. “Because you’d want to include draft capital in any deal, so I think that a Kevin Durant trade would come up this month, sometime before the draft. Probably close to the draft, if it’s going to happen.”
Marc Stein recently reported that the league-wide belief that a Durant trade will happen this offseason has only increased as the Suns trend toward hiring a first-time head coach. On Tuesday, Kelly Iko of The Athletic indicated that the Suns and Rockets have continued to talk about a possible Durant trade and shared some additional details on those discussions.
Rockets Rumors: Adams, Lopez, VanVleet, Holiday, Durant, More
A handful of Rockets veterans, including Steven Adams, Jeff Green, and Jae’Sean Tate, are headed for unrestricted free agency this summer. Of those UFAs, Adams is viewed as the team’s “clear priority,” sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that Green and/or Tate won’t be back, but they may be minimum-salary options for Houston, whereas it will almost certainly take more than that to re-sign Adams, who became an important part of the club’s rotation late in the season. The Rockets are operating under the assumption that the veteran center wants to return, Iko writes, and are expected to continue talking to him about a new contract.
Adams is extension-eligible now and could be signed to a new deal prior to free agency, but if the two sides can’t work something out, Houston may circle back to Brook Lopez, team sources tell Iko. Lopez was a top Rockets target during the 2023 free agent period and came close to making the move to Houston at that time before deciding to remain in Milwaukee.
The Rockets also hold team options for 2025/26 on a pair of guards: Fred VanVleet ($44.9MM) and Aaron Holiday ($4.9MM). The expectation is that VanVleet will return to Houston, either on his team option or on a new contract, Iko writes. The Rockets are also interested in retaining Holiday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his option will be picked up — the club may wait to get a better sense of how its offseason and the league-wide market are playing out before making a decision on the reserve guard, Iko explains.
Here’s more from Iko on the Rockets:
- While Houston would like to keep its young core together, the team is willing to consider the possibility of a significant trade. Giannis Antetokounmpo is considered a top target, though it remains to be seen whether the Bucks will actually make him available, Iko writes. The Suns, conversely, have made multiple calls to the Rockets since the end of the season about the possibility of a deal that sends Kevin Durant to Houston and sends some of the Suns’ draft assets back to Phoenix, team sources tell The Athletic. The asking price for Durant has been “gradually lowered” over the course of those calls, according to Iko, who says the Rockets would be interested if the price is modest enough, despite their desire to keep their core intact.
- The Rockets also anticipate having trade conversations with the Celtics‘ front office this summer, given Boston’s reported desire to reduce its payroll, says Iko.
- The expectation is that Reed Sheppard will have a “vastly expanded role” in 2025/26 after playing sparingly as a rookie, Iko reports. The Rockets remain very high on last year’s No. 3 overall pick, viewing him as a player whose floor-spacing abilities can help in the short term and whose long-term ceiling is high.
- Houston has received inquiries from rivals about former first-rounder Cam Whitmore, as well as this year’s No. 10 overall pick, per Iko. The Rockets remain optimistic about Whitmore’s outlook and potential rotation role, and neither he nor his representatives have asked for a change of scenery, so nothing is imminent on that front, Iko reports. As for this year’s lottery pick, Houston is open to discussing a variety of scenarios, including trading down, trading out of the first round, or packaging that pick with a player to upgrade the roster.
- Although the Rockets’ front office is expected to engage in rookie scale extension negotiations with Jabari Smith and Tari Eason this offseason, team sources tell Iko that the club would be comfortable with the idea of matching an offer sheet for either player in 2026 if no agreements are reached this year.
Pacific Notes: Durant, Lakers, Kings Draft
Kevin Durant is one of the biggest names to watch this offseason following reports that the Suns‘ 36-year-old star has likely played his last game in Phoenix. With that in mind, Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin broke down six 2025 playoff teams who might make sense as Durant suitors, exploring how he would fit on each roster and what they could offer the Suns in a potential trade.
The first destination Rankin looked at is the Timberwolves, who reportedly had legitimate interest in Durant at the 2025 trade deadline. While Rankin says the Suns should be most interested in Julius Randle, his proposed deal includes Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, and young depth like Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark.
Other trade options considered by Rankin involve a one-for-one trade with the Warriors for Jimmy Butler, a deal that lands the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant or Desmond Bane in Phoenix, two centered around young upside swings for either the Rockets’ Jalen Green and Jabari Smith or the Pistons’ Jaden Ivey, and a depth-replenishing trade with the Heat for Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, and Kel’el Ware.
While the Suns face cap-related limitations on any deal, Durant will undoubtedly have his share of suitors once the trade markets open.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- After rescinding their trade for the Hornets’ Mark Williams, the Lakers were stuck without a playable starting center in the 2025 playoffs. Going into the 2025/26 season, filling that hole will be priority one, especially given Luka Doncic‘s love of playing with a lob threat, writes Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. Price quotes general manager Rob Pelinka‘s address to the media following the season: “It would be great to have a center that was a vertical threat, lob threat, and someone that could protect the interior defensively… There’s also spread centers that can protect the rim. We’ll look at those as well. I wouldn’t want to limit the archetype, but we know we need a big man.” Price lists the Mavericks’ Daniel Gafford and the Nets’ Nic Claxton as prime trade targets, while the Hawks’ Clint Capela stands out as a top free agent option.
- The Kings announced six pre-draft workouts for Monday, June 2nd, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). That list includes Marcus Williams from USF, Alijah Martin out of Florida, Chibuzo Agbo from USC, Texas’ Arthur Kaluma, David N’Guessan from Kansas State, and Daniel Batcho of Louisiana Tech. While a majority of the candidates are big men, Williams and Martin are both 6’2″ well-rounded guards. Martin is the only ranked player on ESPN’s top-100 board from the group of candidates, coming in at No. 61, after averaging 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 36% from three.