Kevin Durant is being selective as the Phoenix Suns look to trade him ahead of the NBA Draft, and he has reportedly turned down at least one team that made an effort to acquire him.
In a story that was published on Wednesday examining Durant’s potential destinations, Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves tried to put together a three-team trade for Durant that also involved the Brooklyn Nets. The deal fell apart when Durant “sent out word that he doesn’t want to play there.”
That meshes with what ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday, which is that Durant has no interest in playing for the Timberwolves.
While Durant does not have a no-trade clause in his current contract, he has the ability to create leverage by refusing to sign an extension with any team that he does not want to play for. The 15-time All-Star is owed $54.7 million in the final year of his deal next season, and most teams do not want to give up assets for him without assurances that Durant will remain with them beyond 2025-26.
It is possible that the Timberwolves or another team could still make the best offer to Phoenix and gamble on being able to change Durant’s mind, but they would run the risk of acquiring a disgruntled star if they went that route.
Minnesota reached the Western Conference Finals this year, where they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They made a deeper run than any of the other teams that have expressed interest in Durant, but that apparently does not mean enough to the 36-year-old.
Durant is reportedly willing to sign an extension with three teams. As long as that list remains limited, so too will the Suns’ leverage.
The Suns want to trade Durant before the NBA Draft, which will take place next Wednesday. One reporter has not ruled out a surprising outcome for the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
