Kevin Durant may be 36, but he’s still one of the best players in the NBA. He might not be at the top, but he can still score 30 points a game on any night.
With his name in trade rumors, it’s no surprise that he has a strong market. However, one possible reason Durant still has a strong market in his mid-30s could be his namesake.
Scout Says Some Teams Want Kevin Durant for Profit Reasons
Hoops Wire’s Sam Amico revealed a conversation with someone in the NBA who told him that while teams may want Durant, only the bad ones want him because of how much his name would sell merchandise.
“There are a couple of teams that think maybe Durant could help get them over the hump as a No. 2 option” an East scout told Amico.
“But I get the sense that the teams that are most interested are the really bad ones. … Most teams that want him are teams that just want to sell some jerseys.”
The scout added that because Durant doesn’t help a team’s ceiling as much as he used to, he may be playing for a team that he wouldn’t prefer to play for.
“At this stage of the game, though, he’s 36, 37 years old, I don’t see a real benefit in giving up much for him. He’s not leading anyone to the promised land anymore. I really could see him getting traded somewhere that he maybe doesn’t want to be.”
“A team could take him as a rental to move merchandise for a year, and that’s not a terrible idea. Just don’t mortgage the future. Anyone from that 35-and-over crowd isn’t worth it these days. Kevin Durant is part of that crowd now.”
An NBA scout says teams trying to trade for Kevin Durant are just looking to sell jerseys
“Most teams that want him are teams that just want to sell some jerseys…At this stage of the game, though, he’s 36, 37 years old, I don’t see a real benefit in giving up much for him. He’s… pic.twitter.com/YNekM50hN5
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 17, 2025
The five teams that have been tied to Durant in the last few weeks are the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Los Angeles Clippers, all of which are, at the very least, trying to make the playoffs next season.
Because of Durant’s age and his expiring contract, there’s a solid chance Phoenix may not recoup half his value in a trade. It wouldn’t seem realistic, but a bad team like the Utah Jazz or Charlotte Hornets could talk themselves into Durant, believing that he could raise their ceiling while also selling jerseys.
Even though rumors have perked up that a trade could happen before Draft Night, it wouldn’t be surprising if Durant stays with Phoenix for a bit longer because of this recent notion.