The worst-kept secret in the NBA is that Kevin Durant has likely played his last game with the Phoenix Suns. One could assume that the directionless 36-win Suns will be extending Devin Booker with Bradley Beal’s immovable contract on the books for two more years–thus making Durant the casualty.
We know that the Heat will check in for Durant. But while the market will likely be dictated by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation with Bucks, Durant’s market appears to be fairly dry elsewhere.
However, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, one Heat rival could make a push to acquire the 15-time All-Star ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.
76ers reportedly expected to explore market for Kevin Durant:
The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t quite #CaptureTheFlagg™, but they landed the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. They will have the option of plucking anyone not named Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper, who’s expected to go No. 2 overall.
However, it appears that team president Daryl Morey will listen to offers for No. 3. It’s always good to explore all options, and the teams who trade up will have a plethora of good prospects to choose from.
According to Givony, the Sixers could be in the hunt to move No. 3 plus an aging Paul George for Durant, who’s entering the last year of his contract at $54.7 million.
“Some teams expect the Sixers to be active in trade conversations, with names such as Kevin Durant (Phoenix) and Lauri Markkanen (Utah) as potential targets in packages that could include Paul George and the No. 3 pick,” Givony wrote Monday. “Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has made a career of being active and aggressive on the trade front, but historically, it’s rare to see a top-three pick being traded.
“Adding a young, talented prospect could be appealing as a reset to the team’s timeline, offering long-term hope among Joel Embiid‘s injury concerns and George’s significant contract, which might not age well.”
There is typically a lot of speculation pre-draft that certain teams–especially at the top–could be moving back to collect more assets. But it’s very rare that a top-5 pick, let alone a top-3 pick, will be moved. The last time a team traded out of the top-5 was when the Cleveland Cavaliers traded the No. 1 pick (Andrew Wiggins) to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love in 2014.
The 76ers are in a state of peril with George’s contract, which has three additional years for $162 million. The oft-injured 35-year-old only played in 41 games last season, one of the most ineffective years of his career.
Dangling the No. 3 pick to get off of George makes sense; the difficult part would be finding a suitor.
The Suns could, theoretically, be a suitor, but it also wouldn’t make much sense from their perspective if they want salary relief. Other contracts that Philadelphia could use to incentivize Phoenix to make the trade legal would be Lonnie Walker, Jared Butler, Ricky Council IV, Adem Bona or Justin Edwards.
We’re not privy to the conversations that Phoenix may or may not have with Philadelphia–as well as other teams. Heat president Pat Riley said they would have interest in Durant without actually saying it, but the question remains if any other teams would gauge interest that Phoenix considers.
Ultimately, we won’t know Durant’s market until Antetokounmpo’s situation is settled; if Antetokounmpo really wants out, the rest of the NBA’s activity could freeze if he finds a new home.
Do you think this makes sense for both Phoenix and Philadelphia? Let us know in the comments!
***
To check out our other content, click here.
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter/X here!
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram here!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here!
- Heat must learn from this Jimmy Butler mistake regarding Tyler Herro’s impending extension
- Google had two comical mishaps with Bam Adebayo’s last name
- 2025 NBA Draft Tracker: Who do Heat plan to work out?
- The Terry Rozier conundrum
- Top-5 prospect V.J. Edgecombe reveals Dwyane Wade influenced his game the most
- 2024-25 Miami Heat Player Review: Terry Rozier
- Hanifan: Trading Kel’el Ware for Kevin Durant would be incredibly irresponsible
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.
I love it. Trade the #3 pick. I can’t wait to see the vibes on a team that pairs an aging Kevin Durant with an injured Joel Embiid. Sounds like a classic Daryl Morey team that wins the offseason and then gets their butts kicked in the postseason
This season even before PO.
Can’t wait to hear everyone talk about how great Daryl Morey is, even though he’s never even made the Finals, while also complaining about how Pat Riley stinks, even though he made the Finals three years ago, and was one shot away the year before that, and made the Finals two years before that
It’s fun thinking up hypothetical trades. However, unless Arison has suddenly opened his wallet and given Riley carte blanch to go out and get the best players available, it isn’t very realistic.
Before thinking about whales, Riley needs to work on the following:
*If Miami remains above the first salary cap apron in the 2025-2026 season, they will face trade restrictions, including being unable to accept more money in a trade than they send out, and will not be able to use existing trade exceptions. They will still be able to aggregate salaries in a trade. The “first apron” is a salary threshold that restricts a team’s ability to make trades if they exceed it.
Exactly!
ive accepted mediocrity for the next 3-5 years,u look at the best teams unless theyre ss comes to miami theres no way out of this (tesla)
The way out was to punt this season when they went on a 10 game losing streak or at least the playin vs the bulls. But ego and pride got in the way….your right though your timeline of 3-5 is right but would’ve been 2-3 years had they gotten that pick this year. But now some here want them to tank next year but scoffed at the idea of them doing it this year it’s maddening
How is it quitting if:
The starting unit Miami would put on the floor in 2025-2026 is
The starting unit which began 2024-2025 was
Meanwhile, in 2025-2026, Miami can opt out and save $10M on Robinson, trade or wait for expiring contracts to come off the books, continue developing it’s young players and have a first round 2025 pick. If they are as bad as you think they will be, they should also receive that lottery pick you seem obsessed about next summer instead of this one?