Shams Explains Viral NBA Finals Video Amid Kevin Durant, Spurs Trade Rumors

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania sparked a wave of speculation with his reaction to Iman Shumpert's suggestion that the San Antonio Spurs would be the best landing spot for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.

However, Charania said during an appearance on Tuesday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show that his reaction was blown out of proportion, as he feels the Spurs "haven't been the aggressive team" in pursuing a trade Durant, despite Shumpert's assessment about his fit in San Antonio.

The Athletic's Sam Amick and Jon Krawczynski reported on Monday that Durant prefers to be traded to the Spurs over other interested teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and Houston Rockets. However, it was also noted that the Spurs "been conservative in their pursuit" of the 36-year-old as they try to keep their young core intact.

San Antonio features arguably the best collection of young talent in the NBA, led by the last two Rookie of the Year winners, Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. The team owns the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA draft on June 25 and is expected to select Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, adding another potential future star to the group.

With the Spurs appearing unwilling to meet the Suns' asking price for Durant, Charania noted that the Heat, Rockets and Timberwolves are "where the focus of the Suns conversations are" as they try to explore trades for the former NBA MVP.

"The Spurs have had a level of interest--it's Kevin Durant, who wouldn't? But their timeline, compared to the assets and potentially what it would take to go get Kevin Durant, they're just not on that time that Miami may be on, or Houston may be on," Charania added.