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Shams Charania Drops Major Kevin Durant, Knicks Trade Update on Thursday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 5:35 PM ET

The Phoenix Suns are expected to trade Kevin Durant this offseason after coming close to trading the future Hall of Famer at the February NBA trade deadline.

The Golden State Warriors had a deal to acquire Durant from the Suns, but KD made it known behind the scenes that he didn't want to return to the Warriors, the franchise he won two championships and two Finals MVPs with.

Durant hasn't even gotten back to the conference finals since leaving the Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2019. The New York Knicks thought they were getting Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019, only to watch the two superstars go to the Nets instead.

The Knicks had a terrific 2024-25 season. They made the conference finals for the first time since 2000. However, Tom Thibodeau was fired as head coach after New York lost to the Indiana Pacers.

Could the Knicks have defeated the Pacers with Durant on the roster? It's a fun hypothetical to think about, especially since Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Thursday that New York made an offer to Phoenix for Durant at the NBA trade deadline.

Charania said Durant was interested in getting traded to the Knicks in February. It will be fascinating to see if New York pursues Durant again this offseason.

Durant turns 37 in the fall. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Suns this season while shooting 52.7% from the field, 43.0% from 3 and 83.9% from the free-throw line.

A top 75 player of all time, Durant has one year left on his contract. The four-time scoring champion doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract.

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

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