The Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes is already putting the Phoenix Suns in a bind that will be difficult to escape. And yet, they're apparently prepared to make everything worse...by potentially not trading him at all.
During a recent appearance on ESPN Cleveland, NBA insider Brian Windhorst said that he "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."
"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," - @WindhorstESPN on the Kevin Durant trade landscape. pic.twitter.com/o9QoCsOvjS
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 17, 2025
This sentiment is no doubt a reflection of the lukewarm offers for KD thus far. Two of his three preferred destinations, the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, are apparently playing hard ball. And his other desired landing spot, the Miami Heat, frankly doesn't have a whole lot to dangle even if they're going all-in.
That admittedly puts the Suns in a tough spot—though, remember, it is an issue of their own design. And nobody’s saying they should ship out KD for pennies on the dollar. They shouldn’t. But pretending as if keeping him is a legitimate option verges on unhinged.
Refusing to trade Kevin Durant would be a disaster for the Suns
This situation is too far gone for the Suns to salvage. It reached the point of no return this past February. Phoenix attempted to reunite him with the Golden State Warriors, only for an apparently surprised Durant to stop it. There is no coming back from that.
There is also zero upside to keeping him in town. Durant is entering the final year of his contract. If he reaches free agency next summer, he could leave for absolutely nothing, boxing the Suns into a much worse position than they’d be if they accept a trade package they consider below average.
No team can afford to lose a player like KD without receiving something back in return. And if there’s an exception, it sure as heck isn’t Phoenix.
The Suns do not control the rights to their own first-rounder until 2032, boast zero financial flexibility, and with all due respect to Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, have no blue-chip prospects on the roster. A Durant trade is their best and only shot at restocking the asset cupboard and reorienting the roster without moving on from franchise cornerstone Devin Booker.
The Suns have to do what's best for the future
The calculus here does not change if KD and the organization make nice. Durant turns 37 this September, and while he’s still a star, his performance this past season wasn’t enough to nudge Phoenix into the playoffs prior to his left ankle injury.
Next year won't be any different. Without moving Durant, the Suns have no real way to improve the roster. Maybe they could finagle accessing the mini mid-level exception of $5.7 million to spend in free agency. Except, and I’m not sure who needs to hear this, Phoenix is more than one $6 millionish player away from righting all of its wrongs.
Basically, if the Suns don’t trade Durant, they’ll be banking on newly-minted head coach Jordan Ott to make all the difference. He could end up being a fantastic addition, and that would still be a fool’s errand.
Best-case scenario, the Suns hang on to KD and convince him to sign a two-year extension, at which point they’ll be tied to him through his age-39 season, for over $120 million, with a roster around him that wasn’t good enough to make noise before, and still won’t be good enough to do anything special as he inevitably declines.
That can’t be the endgame. The Suns must instead prioritize the bigger picture in the only way available to them: by trading Kevin Durant.