Anthony Edwards Reportedly Not Recruiting Kevin Durant to Wolves amid NBA Trade Rumors

Though Anthony Edwards has said in the past that Kevin Durant is his favorite player, the Minnesota Timberwolves star reportedly isn't trying to convince the veteran to join his squad.

Per ESPN's Marc J. Spears, Edwards is not actively recruiting Durant as the Wolves and Phoenix Suns continue trade conversations.

"Talked to some people close to Anthony Edwards," Spears said on Wednesday's episode of NBA Today (h/t RealGM). "This is a non-story. He's in Atlanta working out. He loves his former teammate. He loves his current teammates. Some people close to me said he's focused on what's next with this team. And he's not flying to L.A. to try to convince K.D. anything different."

Edwards had the chance to team up with his favorite player last summer at the Olympics, and the two appeared to have some chemistry on the court. Still, it seems Edwards' focus is on who plays for the Wolves at the moment rather than who could join them this offseason.

Durant is almost certainly on his way out of Phoenix this year, and his preferred teams are the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania also reported that Durant has "no desire to be in Minnesota with the Timberwolves."

But while Durant isn't interested in going to Minnesota, he might not have a choice. He doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract and the Suns have no obligation to send him to one of his preferred locations.

What's more, it seems the Timberwolves are the leading suitor, as ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that they have been the "most aggressive" in the trade process so far. Sam Amick and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported Monday that Phoenix is "still hopeful that Durant might warm to the Timberwolves possibility," noting that offers from the Spurs, Rockets and Heat have come "up short to this point."

Durant is entering the final year of his contract and will be a free agent next offseason, so it might be a risky move for Minnesota to trade for him despite his wishes. Still, even just one year of Durant could yield the Wolves their first championship after reaching the conference finals the last two seasons.

But as Minnesota continues to try to land Durant, Edwards will let the front office do the recruiting.