The San Antonio Spurs landed on the long list of teams with “mutual interest” with Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday.
“Back at the NBA trade deadline, there was a list of teams that there was mutual interest with Kevin Durant,” Charania said on “The Pat MacAfee Show” on Wednesday. “Those teams, from my understanding, are Minnesota, that’s New York, Houston, San Antonio and Miami.
“Those are the types of teams, from my understanding, that had interest then, and I expect them all to be in the mix this offseason. But the biggest thing to keep an eye on for all NBA fans and fans of those teams is: How does your team finish in the playoffs? How do the playoffs go? Because that’s going to really determine who feels like they’re a Kevin Durant away.”
Durant rejected a midseason reunion with the Golden State Warriors, where he won his two NBA titles and Finals MVP awards, to finish the season in Phoenix. But the Suns’s season turned for the worse. They are 1.5 games outside of the play-in tournament with the toughest schedule remaining.
Durant and the Suns are likely headed to a breakup this summer.
Spurs’ New Big 3?
The Spurs’ timeline accelerated with the midseason trade for De’Aaron Fox as Victor Wembanyama‘s running mate.
However, injuries to both stars prematurely ended the Spurs’ playoff bid this season.
Wembanyama was ruled out for the remainder of the season after a blood clot was located in his right shoulder in mid-February. But the Spurs are optimistic about his long-term health and that he will recover to play next season, according to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
On the other hand, Fox underwent surgery to repair an extensor tendon in his left fifth finger in March.
The Spurs have not been to the playoffs since the 2018-19 season. A potential Durant trade in the offseason could give the Spurs a new Big 3 which they have not had since the Tim Duncan-Tony Parker-Manu Ginobili era.
The Spurs and their Texas rival Houston Rockets were mentioned as the teams that “make sense as trade partners for first-round picks, The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin reported on March 10.
“Sources informed The Republic the most ideal return on a Durant trade is regaining three first-round picks and a young player as part of a multi-team deal tied to getting under the second apron,” Rankin wrote.
Suns to Overhaul Roster
The Suns started their difficult three-game road trip with a 133-123 loss to the Damian Lillard-less Milwaukee Bucks without Durant, who stayed behind in Phoenix to rehab his sprained left ankle.
They are likely missing the postseason as they are 1.5 games out of the play-in tournament with the toughest remaining schedule, per Tankathon.
“So you look at this from a macro perspective,” Charania said on “The Pat McAfee Show. “We’ve seen from Mat Ishbia the last two and a half years how aggressive he’s been. He is not spared any expenses. He’s clearly showing that, as an NBA owner, he’s willing to take multiple swings. He wants to take millions of swings at the bat to try to win a championship.”
The Suns entered the season with high expectations on Year 2 of the Durant-Booker–Bradley Beal Big 3 experiment. With less than two weeks left in the regular season, they resemble a lottery team except that their first-round pick in this year’s draft is heading to the No. 2 Rockets.
“From a wholistic perspective, there’s going to be changes coming to Phoenix, barring a miracle finish to the year,” Charania continued. “There’s going to be a lot of that. They’re going to have to look at, to evaluate throughout the organization, from a roster perspective. That’s going to start with Kevin Durant and potentially finding him a new home. Unlike at the trade deadline, when he was almost traded to the Warriors, the Suns and Kevin Durant would work together on any trade.”
It will be a full circle moment if Durant forces his way to the Spurs and returns to Texas, where he spent his college.
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