Kevin Durant Trade Rumors: Suns Could Keep Future Hall of Famer

There’s a scenario where Kevin Durant could remain in Phoenix next season.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Tuesday during an appearance on ESPN Cleveland that if the Suns are unable to trade Durant this offseason, they might decide to keep the 15-time All-Star.

“I would not rule out the Suns not being able to get a trade they like and having to make a decision — like, do we not trade him at all?”

Windhorst added that some of the teams Durant prefers to play for are “leery of paying a huge amount for a 37-year-old,” and question whether he’d be willing to commit to a long-term deal.

Kevin Durant Prefers To Play For Spurs

Durant reportedly wants to play for the San Antonio Spurs over other interested teams like the Miami Heat and Houston Rockets, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Jon Krawczynski.

However, San Antonio isn’t aggressively pursuing the four-time scoring champ, as the Spurs have “been conservative in their pursuit,” Amick and Krawczynski noted.

During an appearance on “The Zach Lowe Show” after Game 5 on Monday night, former Spurs executive Kirk Goldsberry also said “San Antonio think[s] the price is too high” for Durant.

San Antonio has a coveted selection in the 2025 NBA draft, the No. 2 pick, and reportedly doesn’t want to trade it as the team is targeting Rutgers star Dylan Harper.

Suns Have No Leverage In Their Trade Demands

In addition, this news came shortly after The Arizona Republic reported that the Suns have “no leverage” in their trade demands for Durant, and they should consider lower their asking price.

Phoenix isn’t expected to get as much as it had to fork over to acquire Durant before the 2023 trade deadline. The Suns traded Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four first-round picks to Brooklyn for Durant and T.J. Warren.

Per Spotrac, Durant is on an expiring $54.7 million deal for the 2025-26 season. The former MVP will be eligible to sign a two-year contract extension on July 6 worth as much as $122 million.

If Durant were to wait six months after the trade, he could sign a two-year extension worth up to $124 million, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

But if a new deal is not reached, Durant will become a free agent in 2026.

In 62 games (all starts) with the Suns this season, Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 36.5 minutes per contest while shooting 52.7% from the field and 43% from 3-point range.