At the age of 36, former Texas Longhorns star Kevin Durant could be headed to his fifth NBA team.
According to ESPN‘s NBA insider Shams Charania, Durant’s business partner Rich Kleiman and the Phoenix Suns have met multiple times recently and “are sifting through trade scenarios.”
The trade conversations are expected to continue escalating as we grow closer to the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25. The main teams that have expressed interest in the 15-time NBA All-Star are the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks.
Since acquiring Durant in the middle of the 2022-23 season for a package surrounding Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and first round picks, the Suns have done progressively worse by the year. Phoenix was eliminated in the conference semifinals by the Denver Nuggets in Durant’s first year with the team. Last season, the Suns were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. This season, they finished 36-46, missing the playoffs entirely after finishing 11th in the Western Conference.
The Suns and Durant have seemed destined to part for some time. Now with a change at general manager and head coach, heavy roster turnover feels inevitable. The big three of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal — who have made up a large portion of the Suns’ historically-high payroll — has almost definitely run its course after only two seasons.
Durant, however, is still a superstar-caliber scorer. The former Longhorn averaged 26.6 points per game on 52.7 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range this season. He led the league in jumper and midrange shot percentages, according to ESPN.
While injury concern remains a factor for the 2014 NBA MVP, Durant has played 75 and 62 games, respectively, over the past two seasons, demonstrating better durability than during his stint with the Brooklyn Nets. If he is to be traded, Durant’s new franchise knows what they are receiving in him.
The risk is high — as seen with Brooklyn and Phoenix — but the upside is clearly there with Durant’s scoring ability and winning experience.
Durant was the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. In his sole year in Austin, Durant put together one of the most distinguished seasons in college basketball history. He was the consensus National Player of the Year, becoming the first freshman to ever win the award. Durant averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, leading the Longhorns to a 25-10 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Durant’s No. 35 is retired by Texas and he is a member of the school’s Hall of Honor. In January 2018, Durant donated $3 million to Texas, with a large majority of it going to the basketball program. The main entrance to Cooley Pavilion and the men’s basketball facility are named in honor of him as a result.
Durant returned to the Texas campus in a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 20. The Spurs beat the Suns 120-109 at the Moody Center, Durant finishing with 22 points in front of the Austin crowd.
