Following all the hoopla surrounding Kevin Durant lately, it’s recently come out that the two-time champion prefers three specific teams he’d like to play for: the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Miami Heat.
However, just because Durant would prefer to play for those teams doesn’t mean others will back off while the window is open. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed which three teams are still checking in on Durant.
3 Dark-Horse Teams Who Are Chasing Kevin Durant
On Sportscenter, Windhorst revealed the three teams, none of which are Durant’s preference. He started with a team that has rolled the dice on a superstar who is playing on an expiring contract.
“You don’t see Toronto on Durant’s list, but the Raptors are one of the teams lurking out there, who may be willing to do this without knowing that they can keep Durant on an extension, and basically potentially be a rental,” Windhorst said.
He then named the other two teams with interest, adding that anything can still happen.
“I think there’s a couple others, including the Los Angeles Clippers, and potentially even the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is still wide open. Maybe Durant gets what he wants, maybe he has to accept something else.”
Windhorst compared the Raptors’ pursuit of Durant to their chase of Kawhi Leonard in 2018, when Toronto was comfortable risking Leonard leaving the next season if acquiring him gave them a legitimate shot at a title. Even though Leonard left after one year, he proved they were right to take the chance by helping them win their first championship in franchise history.
Durant could provide a similar payoff, even at age 37 next season. The Clippers are in the same boat, entering the twilight of Kawhi Leonard’s and James Harden’s primes. Both are all-time players on the wrong side of 30 with limited All-Star years remaining. Durant would give them a final boost for a potential title run before their window closes.
The Timberwolves aren’t as desperate as the Raptors or Clippers because they have one of the NBA’s younger superstars. However, the chance to land one of the greatest scorers of all time, especially if it helps them get under the NBA’s second tax apron, is too good to ignore.
Still, this all comes with a disclaimer: Durant does not prefer any of these three teams. That hasn’t scared them off, but it remains to be seen what kind of impact it will have on the bidding war, or what kind of offers might convince the Suns to part ways with the star forward.
Durant is entering the final season of his four-year, $194,219,320 deal, which adds a major wrinkle to his trade market, especially for teams outside his preferred destinations. Any negotiations with those teams could come with a clear warning that he’d be a one-year rental, with no plans to sign an extension before hitting unrestricted free agency.
