According to Sam Amick and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Minnesota Timberwolves will not trade for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant if he’s “not on board with the move.”
The Timberwolves have been made aware that Durant wants to play for the San Antonio Spurs.
The Suns are hoping that Durant changes his mind about playing for the Timberwolves because they could acquire Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert in the blockbuster 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,” Amick and Krawczynski wrote. “The question now is whether there’s any chance of Durant coming around to the idea.”
The Miami Heat and Houston Rockets are the two other teams Durant is open to playing for.
Phoenix hasn’t been impressed by offers from Miami, Houston or San Antonio.
“With the offers from the Spurs, Rockets and Heat coming up short to this point, league sources say the Suns are still hopeful that Durant might warm to the Timberwolves possibility,” Amick and Krawczynski wrote.
Durant has one year left on his contract. He turns 37 in September. The NBA legend averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Suns this season in 62 games while shooting 52.7% from the field, 43.0% from beyond the arc and 83.9% from the free-throw line.
Timberwolves star shooting guard Anthony Edwards and Durant were teammates last summer on Team USA, helping the United States win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Edwards has said multiple times that Durant is his favorite basketball player of all time.
It’s unknown why Durant doesn’t want to play for the Timberwolves, who have made the Western Conference Finals two years in a row.
Since leaving the Golden State Warriors in 2019, Durant has been swept in the first round of the playoffs twice. He hasn’t even gotten back to the conference finals after winning two rings and two Finals MVPs with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
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