Four-Team Kevin Durant Trade Idea Sends Suns Star to West Contender
Four-Team Kevin Durant Trade Idea Sends Suns Star to West Contender originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Phoenix Suns are expected to trade Kevin Durant this offseason after missing the playoffs and the play-in tournament this season.
Advertisement
Mike Budenholzer was fired by the Suns as head coach after just one season in the desert. Shams Charania of ESPN is reporting that Phoenix will hire Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as its next head coach.
Devin Booker was involved in the Suns' coaching search, but Durant wasn't because the two-time Finals MVP likely won't be on the team next season.
With Durant trade rumors heating up, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports proposed the following trade idea between the Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets:
Suns get: Julius Randle, Mike Conley, Goga Bitadze, Terrence Shannon Jr., No. 25 pick
Advertisement
Magic get: Donte DiVincenzo
Timberwolves get: Kevin Durant
Nets get: Gary Harris, No. 46 pick
This NBA trade idea has Kevin Durant going from Phoenix to Minnesota. Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Durant and Anthony Edwards were teammates on Team USA last summer. Edwards has said multiple times that Durant is his favorite player of all time.
Durant turns 37 in the fall. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Suns this season while shooting 52.7% from the field, 43.0% from 3 and 83.9% from the free-throw line.
One of the top players in NBA history, Durant has career averages of 27.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Suns. He won two rings and two Finals MVPs with the Warriors.
Advertisement
"This would, in essence, be Minnesota trading the depth that was so significant to its last two playoff pushes to upgrade Randle into Durant," Quinn wrote. "Doing so would have still been obvious in February. Now, after Randle finished the season strong (before the Thunder series, at least), it's more of a question."But, ultimately, the price here is so low that they'd have to pull the trigger.
"Edwards idolized Durant growing up. They played together on Team USA. This trade would as much be about appeasing their best player as it would be competing. Of course, it helps on the contention front as well."
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Timberwolves contacted an Eastern Conference team to help facilitate a Durant trade in February.
Minnesota lost in the conference finals again this year, so the franchise may look to trade for Durant once again this offseason.
Related: Three-Team NBA Trade Idea Sends Suns' Kevin Durant to Heat
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indianapolis Star
44 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
One phone call brought Haliburton, Siakam together, turned the Pacers into a contender.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Outside of a handful of interactions in summer workouts, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton didn't know Pascal Siakam very well, when he learned Indiana might trade for the Toronto All-Star a year ago January. Haliburton and Siakam had exchanged pleasantries at Rico Runs — the well-known UCLA-based summer pickup games organized by longtime NBA assistant Rico Hines — but otherwise the pair hadn't often crossed paths. Now, with his front office considering a move to pair him with Siakam, Indiana's emerging franchise face thought it would be a good idea for the two to connect. Stepping out of a dinner during the team's mid-January swing through Atlanta last season, Haliburton talked with Siakam for roughly an hour. That phone call provided the building blocks of a relationship that's anchored the Pacers' run to the NBA Finals 17 months later. Re-live the Pacers unbelievable run to the 2025 NBA Finals with IndyStar's commemorative book 'I wanted to have a conversation, 'Hey, is this something you actually you want to do? Do you want to be here?'' Haliburton said Saturday, recounting the conversation. 'Because I think that the guys who have been a part of the nucleus of this group, we cherish this organization and what we have been able to build here. I think every team, when you ultimately win a championship or play at a high level, there's a trade that happens or you bring in somebody from the outside to be a part of it and you don't want to make the wrong move, right. 'If you go in for Pascal, you want it to be about the right things.' In Siakam, the Pacers were looking for an high-caliber complementary piece to Haliburton. At that point a two-time All-Star, Siakam had also garnered All-NBA second- and third-team nods during his career, and won a title with Toronto in 2019. And in Indiana, Siakam saw the forming momentum of a franchise rallying around a superlative young point guard. The kind of creative ball handler who could score in bunches but create for teammates with equal ease. 'We had a great conversation, and I think we just very much so aligned on wanting to win and that being the emphasis,' Haliburton said. 'I told him that, 'Hey, we could really play well together. I think I could get you the ball in space and allow you to do what you do.' He preached that there's many things that he could do to help me succeed.' And so it's been in the year and a half since a three-team trade brought Siakam to Indianapolis. After re-signing with the Pacers on a four-year contract worth close to $190 million in July, Siakam turned in the third All-Star season of his career this winter. He led Indiana in points and rebounds per game, and thus far is doing the same in the playoffs. He even narrowly edged Haliburton for Eastern Conference finals MVP, after Indiana dispatched the Knicks in six games. Together, their adaptable skillsets embody a team whose versatility has become one of its greatest strengths. These Pacers can play big or small, defend well, run the floor and find their offense all over it. Trading for Haliburton handed Indiana a franchise cornerstone around which it could build a winner. Siakam became the final, crucial piece to that puzzle. Together, they have positioned the Pacers as an NBA title contender for the first time in a quarter century, all of it starting with one forthright phone call between two men crucial to making it possible. 'The biggest thing that I can respect about him is just his work ethic,' Haliburton said. 'He comes in the gym, I know he's going to be there every day. I know the exact hoop he's going to be on, so I try not to take his hoop. I let him get his one-on-one work in. 'Seeing him work that hard makes me want to work harder, and I think that goes through our group. I love having him as a teammate.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pacers vs. Thunder: On-court NBA Finals logo needs to return to give the event the special feel it deserves
It's the most important and biggest event of the year for the NBA, but you wouldn't know it by the mere optics of the Finals. No gold trophy at center court. And more importantly, no Finals script logo anywhere on the floor. Advertisement Short of Oklahoma City fans wearing all white, you couldn't tell the magnitude of the moment. Tyrese Haliburton's winning shot in Game 1 will be etched in history regardless of the series outcome, but visually something was missing. Fans took to social media in the last few days to remark how the floor looks sterile and bare compared to NBA Finals series of the past, and they were especially dismayed when bringing up the special courts the NBA uses for the early-season Emirates NBA Cup. A closeup view of the 2014 NBA Finals logo at American Airlines Arena in Miami. (Photo by John W. McDonough /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (John W. McDonough via Getty Images) 'We have the opportunity to plan well in advance and to design a specific neutral court for a Cup championship game, and the teams design their own Cup courts,' commissioner Adam Silver said Friday. 'And it actually takes a significant amount of time to create new courts in terms of how they're painted, et cetera.' Advertisement Here's a solution for the league, which they could employ starting next year: At the start of the conference finals, start making four versions of the floor for each arena so something will be ready for the Finals. Of course, two will go unused, but the payoff of fan satisfaction could be worth the investment. It's simple, and it doesn't affect the style or quality of play. But the visual of the logo makes the moment feel big, and the NBA should focus on making moments feel bigger — especially for a television audience. 'There was a sense that maybe the logos added some slipperiness to the court, and it was a change on the court that was coming just at the time of the Finals,' Silver said Friday afternoon at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County ribbon-cutting ceremony, where the league refurbished educational spaces, among other things. Advertisement 'And again, maybe it's for superstitious reasons or just a sense from teams. We shouldn't be changing things around such important competition.' Maybe it was somehow slippery, although no moments come to mind when injuries occurred around the logo. Or maybe the NBA didn't think it was that important. The World Series has significant logos on the grass, and the Super Bowl has its unique signage at both 20-yard lines. Silver, who seems to be online more than people would expect, saw the reaction and indicated perhaps a change can be made in the future. 'I hadn't thought all that much about it till I thought it,' Silver said. 'I'm nostalgic as well for certain things and and also, I think, for, you know, 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 that trophy logo or some other indication that it's a special event.' The Finals script design made its return in 2022 after a few years of a very bland, Microsoft Word-style design that was panned by all. When the script returned for the first time since the 2017 Finals, fans across the league rejoiced. Advertisement It felt important. It felt big. It was first put on the floors in the 1989 NBA Finals, and two years later, decals for the entire NBA playoffs were placed. Like Silver said, it created a nostalgia that for some reason the league went away from reinforcing. During the ABC broadcast, there seemed to be nothing special — no televising the national anthem or starting lineups, and in last year's Finals, digital advertising signage was placed on the floor instead of the Finals script. It seems like an easy solution, and the league pays enough attention to social media and the like that it wouldn't be a shock to see some level of visual change. Advertisement Are numerous different champions better? Not only will this be the seventh straight year the NBA will crown a new champion, Oklahoma City and Indiana joining the party means 11 teams have played for the NBA title during that span — with Boston, Miami and Golden State making multiple appearances since 2019. Who knows if it's a good, great or terrible thing — the lack of connective tissue between the Finals year after year? But it's clear Silver believes this being a function of the collective bargaining agreement is a positive. 'I remember when I first joined the league,' Silver said Thursday during his Finals availability news conference. 'David used to joke early on in his tenure, David Stern, as commissioner, he said his job was to go back and forth between Boston and L.A. handing out championship trophies. Advertisement 'I think it was very intentional, it didn't begin with me, it began with David and successive collective bargaining agreements, that we set out to create a system that allowed for more competition in the league, with the goal being having 30 teams all in position, if well managed, to compete for championships. That's what we're seeing here.' In Stern's 30 years as commissioner, he handed trophies to Chicago, San Antonio, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Detroit, Golden State, Houston and Cleveland. Silver is already close to topping that number in less than half the time. 'I've said before, the goal is that market size essentially becomes irrelevant.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Minnesota Vikings Defender Mekhi Blackmon Delivers Strong Statement at OTAs on CB Room Concerns
Minnesota Vikings Defender Mekhi Blackmon Delivers Strong Statement at OTAs on CB Room Concerns originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Minnesota Vikings' OTAs were open to the media on Tuesday, and some players had to come to the defense of their roster. Advertisement It's the second week for the Vikings at OTAs as this is voluntary workout for the players. This is an opportunity for new players and veterans to get back into game shape and establish a routine before training camp begins next month. There have been questions surrounding the cornerback room after the team did not select one in the 2025 NFL Draft. One Vikings defensive back was not having any of the criticism of the room on social media. Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mekhi Rempel-USA TODAY Sports Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon spoke with the media on Tuesday where he shut down the social media talk of the cornerback room not looking as strong. 'We got a real good room this year. I see a lot of stuff on Twitter. We got a real good room from Zay, Jeff, you know we brought Theo back, TT. A lot of new guys coming in we got a real good room.' Advertisement 'Y'all know. A lot of people are concerned about our room. I would say we have a real good room. A lot of good people coming in.' Blackmon is making a return to the field after missing all of last year with a torn ACL injury. He was originally a third-round pick of the Vikings back in 2023. Some of those additions he was talking about were Jeff Okudah and Isaiah Rodgers, who entered their first year in Minnesota. Byron Murphy Jr. is the veteran in the room alongside Blackmon, who is expected to compete for a starting job. At safety, Harrison Smith is the veteran and leader everyone knows as he is back for potentially his final season in the NFL. Josh Metellus is expected to compete for the other safety job. Advertisement The concern with the room is that they lost their top cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, to free agency. This is a Vikings secondary that was the fifth worst against the pass in 2024, allowing 242 yards per game. There is a ton of potential in the room, but it will all fall on how newcomers Okudah and Rodgers play. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been high on Rodgers all offseason and sees him as an every-down starting corner. OTAs are only in week two, so it's premature to come up with conclusions, but it's fair to say the Vikings' cornerback room has heard the criticism and is ready to prove the NFL wrong. Related: Vikings Named Landing Spot for NFC North Rival Defender Related: Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy Dealt Josh Allen Comparison by Former Bills Teammate This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.