Phoenix Suns aggressively trying to trade Kevin Durant to Houston Rockets
It's no secret that the Phoenix Suns are trying to trade Kevin Durant this offseason. One of the greatest scorers of all time, Durant has enjoyed a very accomplished career that includes an NBA championship, an MVP, 15 All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA selections, and four scoring titles.
Set to turn 37 in September, Durant should still have some strong value via trade. After all, he still averaged 26.6 points per game while shooting 43% from distance. That type of skillset fits any offense, yet the Suns are reportedly trying to negotiate with a specific team.
Advertisement
According to The Athletic's Kelly Iko, the Suns have been trying to trade Durant to the Houston Rockets in an effort to get their draft picks back. Remember, Houston is in possession of Phoenix's first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029, stemming from the initial Durant trade to the Nets, who then traded those selections to the Rockets later on.
'Phoenix is aggressive in pursuit of a) trading Kevin Durant and b) regaining full control of their draft capital starting with the No. 10 pick in next month's draft, team sources said. Since the conclusion of the season, Houston has fielded several calls from Phoenix, who have since gradually lowered their asking price for Durant, those sources said. There is a price where the Rockets would be interested, but with a fear of breaking up their roster for a 36-year-old coming off injury, doubt remains over a deal materializing.'
The Athletic's Kelly Iko on Rockets/Durant trade
The fact that Phoenix continues to lower its asking price for Durant is a strong indication that they're desperate to move off from the final year of his contract, where he's set to earn $54.7 million.
Durant landing in Houston would at least send him to another contender, but are the Rockets looking to break up their young core for an aging superstar? Yet, it's also possible the Suns are just trying to get the draft picks from Houston, but still send Durant to another city. Either way, it's clear the Suns are looking to deal.
Related: Phoenix Suns narrow head coaching hire down to two finalists from the same team
Related Headlines
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
23 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Ex-Aaron Rodgers Teammate Allen Lazard Gets Cold Feet About Joining Steelers
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After a game of cat and mouse that lasted two-and-a-half months, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally got their guy. The team announced on Thursday evening that it had signed four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a one-year deal, bringing an end to one of the lengthiest and most drama-filled storylines of the NFL offseason. But now that the Steelers have addressed their biggest area of need, another one requires their attention — the glaring hole at wide receiver opened up after the team traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys last month for third- and sixth-round picks. Several names have been floated as possible Pickens replacements over the last few weeks, but one that's been thrown out more than any other is current New York Jets receiver Allen Lazard, who's spent all seven seasons of his NFL career as Rodgers' teammate. And while it's easy to connect the dots on a potential Rodgers-Lazard reunion, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio recently revealed that Lazard may actually have some reservations about continuing to be tied at the hip to the 10-time Pro Bowl QB. "Per a source with knowledge of Lazard's thinking, he sees a very real potential benefit to proving his ability to function at an acceptable level without Rodgers as his quarterback," Florio reported. "That doesn't mean Lazard would reject the opportunity to play with Rodgers again. But it's not an automatic, knee-jerk, no-brainer. Lazard, at the end of the day, may prefer to make his own path." Allen Lazard #13 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates his touchdown with Aaron Rodgers #12 in the first quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on December 01, 2019 in East Rutherford, New... Allen Lazard #13 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates his touchdown with Aaron Rodgers #12 in the first quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on December 01, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. More PhotoThere's no question, Lazard is an effective weapon when paired with Rodgers. His two best seasons—2021 (40 catches, 513 yards, eight touchdowns) and 2022 (60 catches, 788 yards, six touchdowns)—were with a healthy, pre-Achilles injury Rodgers throwing him the ball. In fact, the one season Rodgers was injured and Lazard was catching passes from someone else, he had the worst season of his career (23 receptions, 311 yards, one TD). "Lazard has a well-earned reputation of being two different players. With Rodgers, good. Without Rodgers, not," Florio continued. "... He has a much better chance of [continuing his career] if he can take advantage of his opportunity with the Jets to prove that he can thrive without Rodgers as his quarterback." If Lazard is, in fact, a no-go for the Steelers, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport believes the team will be aggressive in its pursuit of landing Rodgers another offensive weapon. "I do expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to continue to search for one more weapon," Rapoport said on Friday. "... Jonnu Smith — there was a phone call there. Kyle Pitts — there was a phone call there. The Steelers are in the market for at least one more playmaker." For more NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Associated Press
24 minutes ago
- Associated Press
NBA's talks about new league in Europe are continuing, though the process remains in early stages
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The NBA's talks with FIBA and other entities about the process of adding a new league in Europe are continuing, Commissioner Adam Silver said, though he noted that it may take at least a couple more years to turn the ideas into reality. Silver spoke at a league event to unveil a refurbished Boys & Girls Club in Oklahoma City on Friday — an off day for the NBA Finals — and said it's difficult to put a specific timeline on the Europe plans. 'I will say it's measured in years, not months,' Silver said. 'So, we're at least a couple years away from launching. It would be an enormous undertaking. And while we want to move forward at a deliberate pace, we also want to make sure that we're consulting with all the appropriate stakeholders, meaning the existing league, its teams, European players, media companies, marketing partners. There's a lot of work to be done.' Silver and FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis announced in March that the league and the game's governing body are finally taking long-awaited steps to form a new league, with an initial target of 16 teams. It had been talked about for years, and decades even on some levels. And since the NBA and FIBA went public with their idea to move forward, talks have gotten more constructive, Silver said. Silver said the NBA has been talking directly with the EuroLeague and with some member clubs about a partnership. It's his preference that the NBA work with the existing league on some level, though it's still too early to say exactly what that means. 'Either way, we continue to feel there are an enormous number of underserved basketball fans in Europe and that there's a strong opportunity to have another league styled after the NBA,' Silver said. About one in every six current NBA players hails from Europe, including Denver's Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) — who have combined for five of the last seven MVP awards — along with the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama (France). The NBA's board of governors will talk more about next steps with the European plans in July at their scheduled meeting in Las Vegas, Silver said. It's possible that the European venture could be unveiled in some way — or possibly start — around the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, just given how much attention will be on international basketball at that time. 'That might be a good launching pad for an announcement around a new competition,' Silver said. Some of the cities that are expected to have interest in being part of the new venture include London, Manchester, Rome and Munich. There will be others, of course. 'We haven't had direct conversations yet,' Silver said. 'But there have been several organizations that have come forward and said they would be interested and potential owners in operating in those major markets in Europe.' ___ AP NBA:
New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
NBA trophy logos may return on Finals courts next year, Adam Silver says
OKLAHOMA CITY — In the wake of a spirited online debate about the state of the NBA Finals court during Indiana's stunning Game 1 win over Oklahoma City — with a swell of support for the Larry O'Brien trophy logos to be returned to the floor — commissioner Adam Silver indicated Friday that the league will revisit that discussion after this season. Advertisement The league has had various iterations of the trophy logo throughout its history. But it stopped using them in 2014 amid concerns about, among other things, player safety when there were claims of 'slipperiness' on the courts, Silver said. The Cleveland Cavaliers featured a small version of the trophy near a corner of the court in 2017, and the 2020 bubble finals in Orlando, Fla., had a massive finals logo that was sponsored by YouTube. As Silver sees it, the fans and media members who complained about a lack of distinctness to the modern-day finals court have a valid point. 'Maybe there's a way around it,' he told a small group of reporters during an NBA Cares charity event at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County. 'To be honest, I hadn't thought all that much about it until I (saw) it (on social media). I'm nostalgic, as well, for certain things. And also, I think for a media-driven culture, whether it's people watching live or seeing those images on social media, it's nice when you're looking back on highlights and they stand out because you see that trophy logo or some other indication that it's a special event. So we'll look at it.' The timing of this topic had everything to do with the NBA Cup, as many questioned why the finals courts are so understated when the courts used for the league's midseason tournament are often quite the opposite. They feature bright colors and extensive decals that are unique to each team, with the goal of attracting attention to the competition that began in 2023. For the midseason games that matter only so much, the league was often accused of trying too hard from a marketing standpoint. Yet when it came to the finals games that matter more than any other, there was a sense the league wasn't trying hard enough. Silver, though, said there is logistical context that has come into play. Advertisement 'In the case of the Cup, of course, we have the opportunity to plan well in advance and to design a specific neutral court for a Cup championship game,' he said. 'And the teams design their own Cup courts. It actually takes a significant amount of time to create new courts in terms of how they're painted, et cetera. 'One of the reasons we moved away from the logos on the courts is — whether it was perception or reality — there was a sense that maybe the logos added some slipperiness to the court, and it was a change sort of on the court that was coming just at the time of the finals. … Maybe it's for superstitious reasons or just a sense from teams that we shouldn't be changing things around such important competition. That's largely why we stopped putting the logos on the court.' To hear Silver tell it, though, everything old might be new again when next June rolls around.
