If a recent rumor proves true, Kevin Durant will be traded by the end of the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
The worst-kept secret in the NBA is that the Phoenix Suns plan to trade Kevin Durant this summer. Their two-and-a-half-year partnership has proven less fruitful than anticipated, with the pitfalls of an injury-plagued roster unfortunately overshadowing his individual success and accolades.
The question facing Durant and the Suns, however, is when exactly a deal will be made to send him out of Phoenix. If a recent report holds true, then a timeline has been provided.
Durant joined the Suns less than 24 hours before the 2023 NBA trade deadline. He earned All-NBA Second Team honors with the team in 2023-24, but missed 20 games as Phoenix went 36-46 during the 2024-25 campaign. As such, trade speculation has been endless—and it may soon materialize.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Suns are looking to acquire a first-round selection at the 2025 NBA Draft—seemingly implying that a deal will be struck at or before the event.
"The Suns, sources say, are hoping to acquire a measure of quality draft capital as part of the return for Durant, sources say, and thus have been conducting due diligence on various levels of first-round prospects in the belief they will obtain at least one meaningful selection in the draft taking place 11 days from now."
Most anticipated that Durant would be traded around the time of the NBA Draft, but Fischer's report seems to have set that outcome in rumor-coated stone.
Suns looking to land 2025 first-round pick for Kevin Durant
It's understandable for Phoenix to be prioritizing draft capital in a Durant trade, even if the logistics are difficult to determine. It's built a veteran-heavy roster with massive salaries preventing it from operating freely in free agency.
Shedding salary and getting under the second apron would thus be a wise decision, but prioritizing the future via the NBA Draft makes sense on multiple levels.
For one, adding first-round draft picks would mean giving head coach Jordan Ott talent to develop long-term. Secondly, rookie-scale contracts are far more affordable than the rates that high-level role players, let alone stars, go for in 2025.
What remains unclear, however, is what type of draft capital Phoenix could realistically receive for Durant considering he'll turn 37 in September.
Shams Charania of ESPN named five teams as the "featured" franchises in pursuit of Durant: The Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs. Houston and San Antonio both have lottery picks, with the latter possessing the Nos. 2 and 14 selections.
With Houston at No. 10, Minnesota at No. 17, and Miami at No. 20, it's reasonable to assume the Suns are hoping to acquire a pick somewhere in the range of 10 and 20.
The likelihood of that goal coming to fruition remains unclear, but Fischer and Charania's reports have painted a captivating picture. Phoenix is hoping to add a first-rounder at the 2025 NBA Draft, and four of the five teams they've been linked to have the assets to meet that request..
Regardless of what the Suns ultimately get back for Durant, it's clearer than ever that he could be signed to a different team by the end of the 2025 NBA Draft.