News, notes and rumblings as we count down to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
Is Kevin Durant in play?
After failing (for the moment) to find a deal for Jimmy Butler, rival executives believe the Phoenix Suns are becoming more open to offers for the ex-MVP. Despite a strong 10–5 record in January, Phoenix remains in eighth place in the Western Conference, a game ahead of the 11th-place Golden State Warriors. Its defense, while better last month, is ranked in the bottom third of the NBA. And while Durant has been outstanding this season—averaging 26.9 points per game, connecting on 40.5% of his threes—the Suns offense remains in the middle of the pack.
Golden State is among the teams very interested in Durant, two league sources tell Sports Illustrated, hoping a reunion with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green will be just the spark the team needs to make a second-half push. The Warriors are casting a very wide net, working multiple angles in an attempt to extend the Curry-Green championship window.
The question is—what does Durant want? Durant, 36, has one year and $55 million on his contract after this season. He can sign a two-year, $120 million extension this summer. Suns owner Mat Ishbia has publicly stated his intention to offer Durant that extension. But that was before the team became mired in mediocrity for the second straight season. Durant will have a say in any potential deal; no team would surrender significant assets without knowing Durant wanted to be there.
The Suns have not abandoned the pursuit of Butler. And make no mistake, pairing Butler with Durant and Devin Booker is the top option. But if they can’t make a deal work, a different one could come together.
Around the league
- Houston continues to take a very disciplined approach to this trade deadline. The Rockets, arguably the NBA’s biggest surprise this season, have not expressed any interest in engaging with teams about any of their top young talent. As one exec put it, “Unless you are calling them about Booker, they are not interested.”
- The Brooklyn Nets have set the asking price as two first-round picks for versatile wing Cam Johnson, sources say. Johnson, a favorite of team owner Joe Tsai, is connecting on 41.9% of his threes while putting up a career-high 7.6 attempts per game. Will the price drop as we get closer to Thursday? At 28, Johnson is young enough to be a part of whatever core Brooklyn develops over the next few years.
- The Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams that have expressed interest in Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma.
- In the aftermath of the blockbuster deal between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, both teams are aggressively pursuing upgrades before the deadline. Dallas’s focus has been on wing depth, sources say. For the Lakers, beefing up the Anthony Davis–less frontcourt is the priority.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Trade Deadline: Warriors Interested in Kevin Durant Reunion.
