Ranking Suns' Best Suitors in Kevin Durant Trade

With the top contenders being locked down and Phoenix likely to deal Durant by next week, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports, let's rank which teams would give the Suns the best return for the 17-year vet.

1. New York Knicks

On the heels of an Eastern Conference Finals run that ended in disappointment against the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau and are searching far and wide for his replacement.

New York is also going to be active on the trade market this offseason to bolster its roster and get over the hump in a soon-to-be depleted East. Durant, a premier scorer and playoff alpha, would likely address some of the holes in the Knicks' playoff struggles.

Trading with New York would likely include Karl-Anthony Towns, who is coming off an All-Star season and his best in years. Not to mention, he has been a close childhood friends with Devin Booker as they grew through the basketball ranks and were both part of the 2015 draft class.

Towns would be Phoenix's best possible Durant replacement on talent alone. The floor-stretching big man would be the best center Booker has had on the roster in his entire career.

2. San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio doesn't have the immediate talent that the rest of the teams on this list have, but it has youth, draft capital and the promise of a young foundation for the Suns.

As detailed in various mock trades between Phoenix and the Spurs, a trade between the two will almost certainly include Devin Vassell and the No. 14 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Couple that with either Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson or Harrison Barnes ($19 million in expiring money), a Spurs return gives Phoenix and new head coach Jordan Ott the grounds to a quick, yet promising rebuild.

3. Houston Rockets

Houston provides some of the same assets as San Antonio while being in a similar position as the Knicks. Young players like Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore and Reed Sheppard mixed with the No. 10 pick in the draft, the Rockets are in need of a closer like Durant to move forward in an ultra-competitive Western Conference.

Houston has been linked to Durant in the past, even during the season when questions of a playoff closer rose for the No. 2 seeded Rockets. Whitmore and Sheppard aren't better assets than those of the Spurs, but they still give Phoenix youth and promise.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves

Coming into the conversation relatively late after making a Western Conference Finals run, the Timberwolves are certainly an interesting wrinkle in the Durant sweepstakes.

Would a trade include four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert? How does Durant address the Julius Randle predicament? One thing's for sure, Durant is Anthony Edwards' favorite player of all time and they built up that relationship during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

5. Miami Heat

Miami was linked to Phoenix ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline, but for a deal surrounding Bradley Beal. With Jimmy Butler gone, what exactly could Phoenix get in return by sending Durant to Miami?

Certainly not enough to compete with the other teams on the list. A likely trade would include the likes of Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic and two-to-three first-rounders. quite possibly the only thing appealing about that package is Jovic. And even then he isn't as promising as Vassell, Sheppard or Rob Dillingham.

There's much more left to be seen during the Durant sweepstakes. Phoenix wants to, but likely wont, get the same level of return for Durant that it sent out. Nonetheless, there are some adequate returns for the aging superstar.