A 4-Team Blockbuster Trade That Lands Kevin Durant with Rumored Suitor

Landing Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns last summer apparently wasn't enough for the New York Knicks. They are ready for another blockbuster trade.

Or rather, they were ready for another blockbuster trade.

Leading into Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, ESPN's Shams Charania reiterated that the Knicks made an offer to the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant ahead of February's deadline. With the two-time MVP widely expected to get shipped out this summer, it feels like only a matter of time before New York circles back.

The question is: Can the Knicks actually figure out how to bring KD to the Big Apple? Let's find out.

Full Trade Details

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New Orleans Pelicans Get:

• Karl-Anthony Towns

New York Knicks Get:

• Kevin Durant

Phoenix Suns Get:

• Dejounte Murray
• Yves Missi
• Kelly Olynyk
• Its own 2026 first-round pick (via Washington's swap rights)
• Indiana's 2026 first-round pick (top-four protection, via New Orleans)
• New Orleans' 2026 first-round pick (top-nine protection)
• 2028 first-round swap (least favorable of Brooklyn, New York and Phoenix, via New York)
• Toronto's 2031 first-round pick (via New Orleans)

Washington Wizards Get:

• P.J. Tucker
• 2027 first-round pick swap (most favorable of Milwaukee and New Orleans, with top-four protection, via New Orleans)

Why the New York Knicks Do It

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In: Kevin Durant

Out: Karl-Anthony Towns, P.J. Tucker, 2028 first-round pick swap (least favorable of Brooklyn, New York and Phoenix, via New York)

New York's interest in Durant makes sense, but it's also risky. For all of Towns' flaws at both ends of the floor, he doesn't turn 30 until November and is under contract through 2027-28. KD will be 37 when the 2025-26 campaign tips off and is entering the final season of his contract.

Still, the four-time scoring champ remains a more viable No. 2 option, something the Knicks consistently lacked all season. His arrival also counts as a defensive upgrade—not just on an individual basis, but also because it spares New York from having to plan around the weaknesses of the Towns-Jalen Brunson duo.

Dealing Towns for someone more than seven years older while also giving up a swap doesn't sit totally right. But that 2028 pick has already been swapped, so the crux of the damage is done. And the Knicks can view KD's shorter timeline as added long-term flexibility—particularly if he's willing to sign an extension for less than the max.

Guaranteeing Tucker's salary and sending him to Washington is purely for bookkeeping. It prevents New York from getting hard-capped at the first apron, giving them more overall maneuverability as they fill out the rest of the roster.

Bringing in another big man becomes essential after this move, but that's arguably true now, even with Towns on the docket. Rather than paying him a bunch of money to split time at the 4 and 5, the Knicks can poke around for a cheaper option to share center responsibilities alongside Mitchell Robinson, with whom Brunson has better chemistry anyway.

Why the New Orleans Pelicans Do It

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In: Karl-Anthony Towns

Out: Yves Missi, Dejounte Murray, Kelly Olynyk, 2026 first-round pick (top-nine protection), Indiana's 2026 first-round pick (top-four protection), 2027 first-round swap, Toronto’s 2031 second-round pick (via New Orleans)

New Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars told NOLA.com’s Rod Walker the team is sticking with Zion Williamson as its franchise centerpiece. And if that's going to be the case, New Orleans should explore putting a higher-end floor-spacing 5 alongside him.

Towns is owed $170-plus million over the next three years. That's a lot. But the Pelicans don't have any back-breaking deals on their books. Murray's contract (three years, $96.8 million) is arguably their worst one following his ruptured right Achilles, and New Orleans gets out from under it here.

Though Towns has never quite shot enough threes, his outside touch will be huge for an offense that ranked 26th in the share of its attempts coming from downtown last year and has placed no higher than 23rd in the same category over the past half-decade. He also gives them a part-time hub for the minutes (and games) in which Zion's not on the court.

People will claim this is too many picks. With all due respect, that's not true. Indy's 2026 pick is shaping up to be bottom-of-the-barrel, New Orleans is protecting its own against disaster, and 2027 is a swap.

Losing Missi stings after his stellar rookie year, but he's not mission critical with Towns entering the fold. The Pelicans keep No. 7 and all of their top defenders as part of this package, making the prospect of generating stops with a Zion-KAT frontline more doable.

New Orleans is taking on almost $5 million in additional money, so it will be hard-capped at the first apron. That shouldn't be a problem for an ownership regime allergic to paying the tax anyway. The Pelicans will have to shed other salary to skirt said tax as they flesh out the rest of the roster, but that's a reality they (may) face regardless.

Why the Phoenix Suns Do It

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In: Dejounte Murray, Yves Missi, its own 2026 first-round pick, New Orleans' 2026 first-round pick (top-nine protection), Indiana's 2026 first-round pick (top-four protection), 2028 first-round pick swap (least favorable of Brooklyn, New York and Phoenix), Toronto's 2031 second-round pick (via New Orleans)

Out: Kevin Durant

Sending Durant to the Knicks gets a lot easier if the Suns want to pair Devin Booker with former Kentucky Wildcats teammate Karl-Anthony Towns. They apparently don't.

Phoenix can push for a package built around OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges or Mitchell Robinson, but if New York consolidates two players from the top of its rotation into a soon-to-be 37-year-old, team president Leon Rose needs to be fired.

This package allows the Suns to explore the merits of a gap year. Recapturing the rights to their own 2026 draft pick is huge, and they're loading up on two others, perfectly positioning them to move up the board or broker other trades next summer, when they'll be ready to hit the turbo button.

Missi is a legitimate big-man-of-the-future prospect for Phoenix to evaluate who brings something different from Nick Richards and Oso Ighodaro. Murray's right Achilles injury should sideline him for a chunk of next season, but that fits the gap-year motif, he'll be a solid fit alongside Devin Booker upon return, and the balance of his contract (three years, $96.8 million) is modest enough that Phoenix doesn't need him to be an All-Star.

The Suns are saving over $6 million before taxes in this deal. That's not enough to get them out of the second apron, but it comes close if they're planning to decline Vasilije Micić's team option and waive Cody Martin's non-guaranteed salary. They can also try reworking this framework and compensate Washington to take Olynyk into a traded-player exception or its mid-level exception.

Why the Washington Wizards Do It

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In: P.J. Tucker, 2027 first-round pick swap (top-four protection from Milwaukee or New Orleans, via New Orleans)

Out: Phoenix’s 2026 first-round pick (swap rights)

The Wizards aren't being roped in here strictly to ease the logistics of a megatrade between two apron teams (New York and Phoenix). Giving back control of the Suns' 2026 first-rounder is the swing factor of this entire deal.

Taking on Tucker's minimum salary is a small price to pay for a swap Washington is more likely to use. Remember, Phoenix has no reason to be bad next year unless it has its own first. The Wizards are still early enough into their rebuild that they almost assuredly won't have a better record than the 2025-26 Suns.

But the 2026-27 Pelicans or Bucks? That's a completely different story. New Orleans will forever be a house of cards with Zion Williamson as its cornerstone, and Milwaukee could be without Giannis Antetokounmpo by that point.

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Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.