Intriguing dark horse teams pursued Kevin Durant trade

Kevin Durant was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets on Sunday, but a pair of intriguing dark horse teams were reportedly involved in exploratory discussions before the move was made.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets were among the teams that checked in on Durant’s availability. That interest had not been previously reported, but nothing came of it.

The interest from both Cleveland and Denver is interesting. The Cavaliers were the best team in the Eastern Conference this season, but fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and are looking to get over the hump. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are trying to extend their window of contention with Nikola Jokic. Both felt that Durant’s presence would be beneficial, though it is unclear what sort of pieces they would have had to give up to make it happen.

At least one other team was a finalist for the Durant trade, though they appeared closer to making a deal than the Nuggets or Cavaliers were.

Ultimately, Durant went to the Rockets for a package of players and picks. That is worse news for the Nuggets than for the Cavaliers, with Denver eager to keep its window of contention open. Both teams bear watching for the rest of the offseason if they were willing to get involved in these trade discussions.