Kevin Durant Trade Packages After Phoenix Suns Fire Mike Budenholzer
The Phoenix Suns had the most expensive roster in the NBA this season, but that didn't prevent them from finishing 10 games under .500 and missing the play-in tournament.
The disappointment has already led to the firing of head coach Mike Budenholzer. And it sounds like star forward Kevin Durant could be moving on, too.
"Phoenix is expected to engage in trade conversations involving Durant," ESPN's Shams Charania wrote. "Multiple teams will seriously pursue Durant, who finished another stellar season, and the franchise is expected to work with Durant and his business partner and Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman on the next landing spot for the future Hall of Famer."
It will be interesting to see just how seriously teams go after KD. He turns 37 in April, missed significant time with injuries in four of the last five years (including 2024-25) and is finally starting to look a half-step slower on both ends of the floor.
But he also averaged 26.6 points, 4.2 assists and 2.6 threes, while shooting 43.0 from deep this season. In the right situation, he can push a team closer to title contention.
Some of the best possibilities are listed below, along with realistic trade packages (that consider Durant's age and injury history) to get him.
Golden State Warriors
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The Deal: Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga (sign-and-trade), Buddy Hield, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick for Kevin Durant
In the same report on the Budenholzer firing, Charania reminded us that we came pretty close to this reality under three months ago.
"Durant was nearly traded to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline in February before making clear in league circles that he did not want to return to his former organization," Charania wrote. "He will be in the final year of his deal next season."
That little nugget on KD not wanting to go back is important, but if the Warriors flame out of the 2025 playoffs early, they should at least consider the possibility again.
Given Durant's hefty $54.7 million salary in 2025-26, Golden State would almost certainly have to include Draymond Green in this deal. With the personality clashes between Draymond and KD, that might actually get the former Warrior to soften his stance on returning to the Bay.
Much of the rest of the incoming salary could be offset by a sign-and-trade involving restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, who still has plenty of promise but wasn't in Golden State's rotation in its final game of the season.
As for what a deal like this might mean for the Warriors on the floor, this would obviously and dramatically change the team. Draymond has been the backbone of this defense for well over a decade. His versatility and intensity set the team's identity as much as anyone but Stephen Curry.
But another early playoff exit this year would make it five of the last six years ending well shy of a title. And that might be enough to justify a philosophical shift.
A team led by Curry, Durant and Jimmy Butler would be one of the older ones in the league, but it'd be a nightmare to defend. And while Butler isn't the same defender as Draymond, he can still set a tone on that end.
As for Phoenix, this deal would give them some draft capital, which it desperately needs. A 22-year-old, up-and-coming scorer with high-end athleticism (even relative to other NBA players) is a good building block for a team that needs a restart. And Hield would give it a movable contract, or a floor spacer to open things up for Kuminga.
New York Knicks
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The Deal: OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, two 2026 second-round picks, a 2027 second-round pick and two 2028 second-round picks
This one is tricky, given the second-apron status of the Suns and the first-apron status of the Knicks, but if it happens after New York renounces the rights to some of its own free agents, it's possible.
Thanks to the splashy Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns trades it already made, New York also doesn't have a lot of draft capital to offer up.
So it would have to hope that no one else is willing to offer up a couple first-rounders to have a good shot at KD.
Draft capital should be important for Phoenix, and the Knicks simply can't offer much.
This particular package would help the Suns stay competitive in the short term, though. If they opt to stick with Devin Booker, putting a high-end, three-and-D forward like OG Anunoby next to him makes sense.
And while there are genuine concerns about his health, Mitchell Robinson would represent an upgrade for Phoenix at the starting center spot.
For the Knicks, this would be a third all-in move in about 12 months. And though the window for title contention wouldn't be open long, it'd certainly be open wide with a starting five of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Bridges, KD and KAT.
Miami Heat
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The Deal: Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2031 first-round pick
Including the Miami Heat in conversations like this almost feels obligatory, but there's more to it than that.
Miami really does have what looks like a ready-made KD trade package with Andrew Wiggins' deal (which could be re-routed elsewhere, if Phoenix wants to further the teardown), Duncan Robinson's expiring contract and multiple first-round picks.
Short-term financial flexibility and even a little recouping of the Suns' barren asset cupboard should be what they're after, and the Heat can give them both.
It's justifiable from Miami's perspective, too. It has one of the best coaches in the league and a strong one-two punch with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, both of whom are in their primes.
Durant, even at his age and with his injury history, is a significant short-term upgrade over Wiggins. And though Robinson has long been an important floor spacer for the team, the Heat have repeatedly proven capable of developing late picks and even undrafted rookies into useful rotation players.
With KD, Adebayo, Herro and a supporting cast deployed by Erik Spoelstra, Miami could be a spoiler in the East.
Oklahoma City Thunder
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The Deal: Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, Ousmane Dieng and whatever pick haul it'd take to beat everyone else's offer
It probably seems a little silly to break up a team that just won 68 games and set a new record for average point differential. But if the Oklahoma City Thunder follow up that historic campaign by flaming out early in the playoffs, a reunion with KD would be awfully enticing.
Durant's obviously not the defender Luguentz Dort is, but having him as a second option alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and all of the Thunder's shooters would make them borderline unstoppable.
And while Isaiah Hartenstein has undoubtedly been a plus in his first season in OKC, his contract almost seems tailor-made for a trade. The Thunder have two capable centers in Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams who should be able to survive without Hartenstein, too.
As for Phoenix's motivation on this one, OKC has an absurd number of future draft picks, enough to likely blow just about any other KD offer out of the water and still have some left over.
This trade could keep the Suns competitive in the short term, too. Dort and Hartenstein would transform the team's defensive culture and make life easier for Devin Booker on both ends.
Other Possibilities
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Beyond the teams mentioned above, a few others could likely justify giving up some young talent and a couple picks for (presumably) the last chapter of Durant's career.
The Houston Rockets could build a package around Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore and a couple picks. If the Memphis Grizzlies flame out early, a swap involving Ja Morant could be interesting. Adding KD to Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox is a fun idea, and the San Antonio Spurs have plenty of picks, Devin Vassell and Harrison Barnes to get started. Even the Denver Nuggets could hope Michael Porter Jr., salary filler and a far-off first-round pick swap could get them in the conversation.
The Dallas Mavericks figure to appear in the Durant rumor mill, too. They already have, but longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein previously threw some cold water on that idea.
"Dallas has repeatedly been described as a potential Durant suitor, before the deadline and since, but I continue to hear that reports of interest have been overstated, " Stein wrote back in March. "The Mavericks, based on my best read, are not currently planning for a three-star construction."
Taking one suitor off the list (assuming Dallas wasn't just misdirecting about its lack of interest) hardly kills the possibility of Durant leaving Phoenix this offseason, though.
In all likelihood, it'll get multiple offers for the future Hall of Famer. Those might even develop into a bidding war.
And ultimately, KD will almost certainly be on his fifth NBA team by the time the 2025-26 campaign starts.
