Should Kevin Durant reconsider crossing Western Conference team off wish list?

Durant should reconsider that position. Minnesota may not have a warm climate like Miami, Houston, or San Antonio, but it does have one of the best players in the league, guard Anthony Edwards.

Over the past two postseasons, Edwards, 23, has carried the Timberwolves to consecutive Western Conference Finals trips. During the 2025 playoffs, he averaged 25.3 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and 5.5 assists per game in 15 contests.

Edwards isn't Minnesota's only star. The team also features center Rudy Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year. 

Durant, 36, may be the missing piece for the Timberwolves. In 62 regular-season games this past season, the two-time champion logged 26.6 PPG, the sixth-best mark in the league.

The Timberwolves are among the few teams with the assets to facilitate a trade. Minnesota has picks No. 17 and No. 31 in the 2025 NBA Draft. In a piece published Saturday, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line wrote the Suns want at least "one meaningful selection" in this year's draft in a trade package for Durant.

Durant is entering the last year of a four-year, $194.21M contract and would likely sign an extension with a team that acquires him. That could be an issue for the Timberwolves, who are $93.1M over the cap, per Spotrac. 

The club, however, would probably try to find a way to shed space to pay him. On a Saturday episode of his podcast, The Ringer's Zach Lowe ranked Minnesota No. 1 in his buzz order for Durant. 

Durant should embrace the idea of playing with Edwards, who has said the future Hall of Famer is his favorite player multiple times. It worked out well when they won a gold medal for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.