Despite Kevin Durant‘s strong feelings against going to Minnesota, the Timberwolves are still considered the dark horse to land the 15-time NBA All-Star.
According to Sam Amick and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Phoenix Suns are “still hopeful that Durant might warm to the Timberwolves possibility” after Durant expressed he will not sign an extension if he’s traded there.
“I’m told Durant has no desire to be in Minnesota with the Timberwolves,” ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania reported on SportsCenter on June 16.
Durant has one year and $54.7 million left in his current four-year, $190 million contract. He can sign a two-year, $112 million extension wherever he lands next. If he waits six months after the trade, he could fetch more — $124 million over two years, according to Charania.
The Timberwolves were left out in Durant’s short list of preferred landing spots with the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets making it, Charania also reported.
However, the Timberwolves still have an outside chance as Durant’s preferred teams have yet to meet the Suns’ demands.
“To this point, league and team sources said, the Spurs, Rockets and Heat have not come forward with offers for Durant compelling enough to get the Suns to bite, which means they will continue to look at the market for a deal that suits them,” Amick and Krawczynski wrote.
Timberwolves Have What Suns Want
GettyJulius Randle, Anthony Edwards, and Rudy Gobert during Game 4 of the West Semifinals between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors on May 12, 2025.
All three teams on Durant’s list have deep draft capital while the Timberwolves only have this year’s 17th pick as their lone draft asset.
“The Suns have made it clear to Durant’s camp that they need to prioritize the best return for the team in a deal. What’s more, they appear focused on landing the kind of impact players who can help now as opposed to prioritizing draft picks,” Amick and Krawczynski wrote.
Minnesota may lack the draft capital but they have the high-impact players which Phoenix are looking for.
“The Wolves would seem to have options available to offer, with Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle headlining a package that could give the Suns hopes of contending,” Amick and Krawczynski wrote.
Gobert is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time All-Star and All-NBA center. Randle is a three-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA forward.
Rudy Gobert for Kevin Durant?
A package of Gobert and Donte DiVincenzo plus salary fillers and this year’s 17th pick could be the best return for the Suns in terms of their demands.
Gobert would fill the Suns’ hole in the middle while DiVincenzo provides scoring depth and toughness for a team that lacked them this past season.
The Suns clearly need a starting center after they rotated career backups Nick Richards, Mason Plumlee and last year’s second-round pick Oso Ighodaro at center this past season at center.
With Durant leaking his preferred landing spots, the Suns are having a hard time to get what they want in a trade.
The Timberwolves do not want to make a seismic change to a roster that advanced to the Western Conference finals if Durant is not on board with the move, team sources said. The question now is whether there’s any chance of Durant coming around to the idea,” Amick and Krawczynski wrote.
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