Kevin Durant, T-Wolves Trade Buzz Reportedly Building amid Rockets, Heat Rumors

Coming off back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves might turn to Kevin Durant as the final piece to push them over the top.

On the latest episode of The Zach Lowe Show (starts at 57:57 mark), The Ringer's Zach Lowe reported the Timberwolves are generating increased buzz as a potential Durant landing spot.

Lowe said he would put the Timberwolves at No. 1 in the "buzz" rankings in the Durant sweepstakes, with the Houston Rockets at No. 2.

NBA insider Jake Fischer also reported Saturday that the Timberwolves and Miami Heat are "the two teams most frequently cited as potential landing spots for Durant."

"Sources say Miami is in legitimate pursuit of Durant again—just as it chased him at the February trade deadline," Fischer added. "The Heat's offer, in the end, could even prove to be most enticing from the Suns' perspective."

Earlier this week, ESPN's Shams Charania cited the T-Wolves, Rockets, Heat, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs as the teams that have expressed interest in Durant.

That list appears to have been narrowed down to Minnesota, Houston and Miami with a deal possibly happening within the next week, per Charania on Friday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show.

Even if a trade is agreed upon between the Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, Lowe did note nothing could be made official until July 1 when the new league year begins due to both teams currently being over the second apron.

It's unclear what Minnesota's offer to Phoenix for Durant would consist of. Julius Randle and Naz Reid can't be traded unless they both decide to opt in to their deals for next season.

Taking Anthony Edwards out of the equation since he would seem to be virtually untouchable, Randle ($30.9 million player option), Rudy Gobert ($35 million) and Jaden McDaniels ($24.4 million) are the only players on Minnesota's roster making at least $20 million next season.

Durant is owed $54.7 million in 2025-26 and will be eligible for a two-year extension worth up to $122 million starting on July 6. The extension part of the equation does give Durant some level of control where he goes, since an acquiring team would presumably want him to commit to them beyond next season.

A pairing of Edwards and Durant would be lethal in the Western Conference. It might come at the expense of some defensive production that has made the Timberwolves difficult to play over the past two seasons, but their Achilles heel in the Western Conference Finals has been the lack of a reliable second scoring option next to Edwards.

Despite being 36 years old, Durant remains one of the most efficient offensive players in the NBA. He averaged 26.6 points on 52.7 percent shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 62 starts with the Suns this season.