Suns Reportedly May Need to Lower Kevin Durant Trade Value amid Age, Wishlist Concerns

Even though Kevin Durant remains one of the biggest stars in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns may not necessarily be able to cash in with a significant return if they trade the 15-time All-Star.

Per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic, the Suns "might have to reduce their asking price" in trade talks with other teams for Durant because of his age and desire to play elsewhere.

Phoenix's initial asking price appears to be very high, with The Ringer's Kirk Goldsberry saying on The Zach Lowe Show that the club sought the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft and/or Stephon Castle from the San Antonio Spurs

Goldsberry noted that request was not well-received by the Spurs. San Antonio is one of three teams on Durant's preferred list of trade destinations, with the others being the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania added those are the three teams Durant would commit to signing a two-year extension worth up to $122 million that he will become eligible for on July 6.

Despite Durant having preferences, Charania noted the Suns have made it clear to the "six to eight seriously interested teams" they will make the best deal for the organization regardless of whether or not the club is on his list.

However, any team trading for Durant would likely seek some assurance he will commit to them to determine how much they want to send back to Phoenix.

Of course, even if Durant would commit to a team, his age and durability also affects his value. The future Hall of Famer will turn 37 on Sept. 29, making him the sixth-oldest active player in the NBA.

Durant has missed at least 17 games four times in five seasons since returning from the ruptured Achilles he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors that kept him out for the entire 2019-20 campaign.

When Durant is on the floor, he remains one of the best scorers in the NBA. The Texas alum averaged 26.6 points on 52.7 percent shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 62 starts this season.

Phoenix doesn't have a lot of obvious paths to success right now because of how much money is committed to this roster and how many draft picks have been traded away to bring in Durant and Bradley Beal.

Even though Durant is unlikely to bring back anything close to the value the Suns sent out to acquire him from the Brooklyn Nets back in February 2023, they need to get everything they can in this trade to help jumpstart whatever the next phase for the organization is going to be.