Kevin Durant Trade Rumors: Mavericks' Interest in Suns Star Has Been 'Overstated'

The Dallas Mavericks' interest in Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, both before and after the trade deadline, has been "overstated," NBA insider Marc Stein reported in The Stein Line.

According to Stein, the Mavericks are not interested in a three-star agenda and are primarily focused on securing Kyrie Irving's future after the team traded away Luka Doncic. Irving holds a $44 million player option for next season.

The Mavericks traded away their biggest star, Doncic, at the beginning of February to the Los Angeles Lakers in return for Anthony Davis. Mavericks fans were up in arms, especially after Davis was injured in his debut for the team and has not played since.

In addition, Kyrie Irving was ruled out for the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL on March 4 during the Mavericks' 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings, leaving the team depleted in terms of depth.

Despite Irving's injury, Stein's statement implements that the Mavericks will stay steady alongside him as they pursue a long-term stay for the 32-year-old. The team is focused on securing Irving's future, keeping him as a key part of their plans for the upcoming seasons.

Meanwhile, Durant and the Suns have been struggling this season, holding a 30-34 record and sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference standings, one spot behind the Mavericks, who are in 10th.

While Durant is not expected to end up in Dallas to reconnect with his former teammate in Irving from their time together in Brooklyn, he is expected to be moved this offseason. The Suns are likely to reconstruct their roster, and Durant may be one of the pieces they move in the process, Brian Windhorst said on ESPN's Get Up.

"Yeah, (Durant)’s probably going to get traded this summer," Windhorst said in February. "He knows it, the Suns know it, the rest of the league know(s) it, they’re going to enjoy him while they have him. It’s not really controversial in all honesty."

Durant, who will turn 37 years old at the beginning of next season, has not found success since joining the Suns in 2022. He lost in the first round of the playoffs last season, falling 0-4 to Minnesota and faced a Western Conference semi-finals loss the season before.

His high payroll, combined with the Suns' lack of development, will make the parting beneficial for both sides.

"They’re under .500, they’ve got a $230 million payroll, then add about $100 million in tax on that…(Durant)’s played almost 1,500 minutes this year, and he’s +2 on the court in those 1,500 minutes," Windhorst continued. "So you have an extremely expensive team that is not winning, and the player that is their most expensive player, who is playing great but not impacting them on a positive level, you do not need a high-level analyst to tell you that they probably need to trade him, which is why they were exploring the trade market for him…I would expect this summer for Durant and the Suns to work together to find a new home.”

Durant has been linked to his old stomping grounds of Oklahoma City as a potential trade suitor in the offseason, in addition to the Houston Rockets—both teams are well above .500 with young rosters that could benefit from a veteran presence.