Western Conference Contender Urged to Acquire Kevin Durant in NBA Trade Idea

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Jun 9, 2025 - 19:00

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Western Conference Contender Urged to Acquire Kevin Durant in NBA Trade Idea originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Kevin Durant sweepstakes have an opportunity to take center stage in the NBA offseason. If Giannis Antetokounmpo is not asking out of Milwaukee then Durant is by far the biggest fish on the trade market.

John Gambadoro suggested the Phoenix Suns want this deal done before the 2025 NBA Draft. The urgency from the Suns front office should have teams across the league quickly planning their trade pitches for the 15-time All-Star.

Any team looking to acquire Durant will be a group that is trying to put themselves over the top as a contender. The Minnesota Timberwolves would fit that description perfectly.

Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves.Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Timberwolves have enjoyed back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025. The problem is once they arrived at that stage, the experience grew far less enjoyable.

The Timberwolves were bounced by the Dallas Mavericks in five games during the 2024 NBA Playoffs. A similar fate was bestowed upon them in 2025, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in five as well.

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report believed the fix to this problem would be a trade for Durant. The NBA writer suggested the following trade idea.

Suns receive: Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, Luka Garza, and a 2032 first-round pick swap.

Timberwolves receive: Kevin Durant.

This deal appears to be a great one for the Timberwolves. A pairing of Durant and Anthony Edwards would certainly offer a lot of intrigue. For the Suns, however, this package falls short of the mark.

Bailey wrote, "This framework gives Phoenix an interesting restart around Devin Booker. Gobert would undoubtedly be the best defensive center he's ever played with. And though Conley's production fell off a cliff this postseason, his steady hand guiding the offense would make life easier for Booker, too."

The writer added commentary around Dillingham's upside as a prospect and the future draft capital as a bonus. Garza could be a backup center for Phoenix as well, according to Bailey.

Despite the optimism held there, this return for Durant does not offer much of substance by comparison to the other deals that could be had out there. Teams like the Houston Rockets or even the New York Knicks could easily beat this package.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.