ESPN lists Rockets first among potential Kevin Durant trade suitors with Suns
ESPN lists Rockets first among potential Kevin Durant trade suitors with Suns Teams interested in a Kevin Durant trade are mainly Houston, San Antonio, Minnesota, Miami, and New York, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
ESPN insider Shams Charania is listing the Houston Rockets first among a group of five NBA trade suitors for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.
In order, the list consists of the Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks.
From Charania's reporting:
Suns officials and Durant's business partner, Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman, will continue to meet on trade conversations — with talks expected to escalate before the NBA draft later this month.
Durant was nearly traded to the Golden State Warriors at the February 2025 trade deadline before he made it clear that he was not interested in a reunion and preferred to finish the season with the Suns. At the time, sources told ESPN that Durant was blindsided by the Suns including him in any trade conversations. This time around, the sides are expected to work together on his next home.
Durant is slated to make $54.7 million next season, so the Rockets would have to send out close to that amount in salary in order for a trade to work, financially.
The Athletic's Kelly Iko and Sam Amick previously reported that Durant is very interested in playing for the Rockets. Houston does have a significant amount of future draft capital from Phoenix that could be of interest to the Suns in a trade, but it remains unclear how much (if any) that the Rockets would give up in a deal for Durant — who turns 37 years old later this year.
A 6-foot-11 forward, Durant averaged 26.6 points (52.7% FG, 43.0% on 3-pointers), 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 62 games last season. In February, the former Most Valuable Player (MVP) earned his 15th career All-Star selection.
More: Report: Suns ramping up trade calls with Rockets about Kevin Durant, draft equity
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