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Kevin Durant May Not Get Traded From Suns After All

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated May 21, 2025 2:20 PM ET

After the Phoenix Suns fired Mike Budenholzer as head coach on April 14, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Kevin Durant and the Suns were expected to work together on a trade this offseason.

The Suns not only missed the playoffs this year, but they also didn't qualify for the play-in tournament despite having Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

A four-time scoring champion, Durant will make $54.7 million next season in the final year of his contract. The 36-year-old has been linked to several teams in trade rumors, most notably the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.

Durant doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract, so the Suns can trade the future Hall of Famer anywhere.

However, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Durant remaining in Phoenix "has not been fully ruled out."

"Phoenix has not yet initiated any trade bidding for its superstar forward," Fischer wrote. "It has been widely anticipated that Durant, who turns 37 in September, will be back on the trade market this summer in the wake of the Suns' myriad trade explorations involving No. 35 leading up to February's in-season trade deadline. A return to the desert next season, though, has not been fully ruled out."

Durant was almost traded to the Golden State Warriors in February, but the two-time champion made it known behind the scenes that he didn't want to get moved during the middle of the season.

A 15-time All-Star, Durant appeared in 62 games this season. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 52.7% from the field, 43.0% from beyond the arc and 83.9% from the free-throw line.

The Suns still haven't hired a new coach after firing Budenholzer. It will be intriguing to see who they hire and if Durant is back in the desert next season or playing for his fifth team.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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