West team pulls out of Kevin Durant sweepstake due to notable concern

The possibility of Kevin Durant in a San Antonio Spurs uniform appears to be fading like the Marty McFly photograph.

San Antonio is out on the sweepstakes for the former MVP forward Durant due to a notable concern, basketball writer Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson reported on Friday.

“San Antonio’s not in on KD,” Robinson quoted an anonymous source as saying. “They have concerns about how many years he has left in the tank, and the focus is on building something sustainable around Wemby [Victor Wembanyama].”

Robinson’s report matches with what other NBA writers have recently said about the Spurs-Durant links. For one, Grant Afseth of RG also reported on Friday that there is “increasing doubt” about Durant landing in San Antonio as the Spurs are concerned about “Durant’s age not aligning with Wembanyama’s timeline.”

Just a few days ago, it looked like the Spurs were in pole position to swing a trade with the Phoenix Suns for Durant. A report had even suggested that San Antonio had emerged as Durant’s clear trade preference.

But now it seems like the interest may not be mutual as Durant will indeed be turning 37 years old in September, putting him at a completely different stage in his career than the 21-year-old Spurs star Wembanyama. San Antonio was not even particularly close to contention this season at 34-48, so the addition of Durant (which would also cost them parts of their current roster) might not actually be enough for them right now.

While Durant still has yet to show signs of a real decline (averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game this season), he is entering the final year of his contract at $54.7 million, creating the risk of him being an expensive one-year rental. As such, it looks like the Spurs are out on him and that there are three other reported finalists for a Durant trade instead.