After the long-standing Minnesota Timberwolves ownership dispute has been resolved, will new owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez go after the shiniest toy in the offseason?
The Timberwolves landed on the list of teams who have expressed interest in 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.”
Charania earlier reported that Glen Taylor finally agreed in principle to sell the Timberwolves to an ownership group led by Lore and Rodriguez.
Since Lore and Rodriguez came on board as minority owners in 2021, the Timberwolves have aggressively rebuilt their team around Anthony Edwards, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
They overpaid for Rudy Gobert and later added Mike Conley. Then they shipped former franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns in the offseason to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Failed Kevin Durant Trade Pursuit
The Timberwolves heavily pursued Durant at the trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“Another small market team to watch — the Minnesota Timberwolves,” Windhorst said on “Get Up” on Thursday, March 6. “Anthony Edwards and KD have a very tight connection, also from the Olympics. The Timberwolves tried to pull off a crazy trade at the deadline for KD. Look for them to revisit those talks this summer.”
Edwards has publicly said Durant is his favorite player of all time after eliminating him and the Suns last year.
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Feb. 6 that the Timberwolves made a last-ditch effort to trade for Durant and pair him with Edwards “to no avail.”
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.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia did not categorically deny the Durant trade talks in an ESPN story published on March 14.
“I’ll just say that we’re going to evaluate in the offseason,” Ishbia told ESPN. “We’re going to find a way to win, and it’s probably a lot easier winning with Kevin Durant than without him. But at the same time, yes, if we’re not good enough in this iteration of the Phoenix Suns, we’re going to find a way to be better next year.”
Durant is extension-eligible and will enter next season with an expiring $54.7 million contract.
Suns ‘Will Work’ With Kevin Durant in Future Trade
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-Devin 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 second-seed Houston 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.”
Will Durant force his way to team up with Edwards in Minnesota?
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Timberwolves Among 6 Trade Suitors for Anthony Edwards’ Favorite Player appeared first on Heavy Sports.