It’s that time again to speculate on the next landing spot for one of the NBA’s superstars, Kevin Durant. After the Phoenix Suns’ massive failure in the 2024-2025 season, you can all bet your marbles that the Suns will try to deal KD, Booker, and Beal to enter a full-scale rebuild.
Of the three all-stars, most teams are zeroing in on acquiring Durant. The soon-to-be 37-year-old is deemed a good fit for most contenders who are looking for additional scoring and someone to give the ball to when the game is on the line.
But if KD truly wants to win another title before he goes out, he should be picky about who to join this summer, given that the Suns would allow his wish to be traded. His playing window is closing due to his age, and the next couple of years should be his last chance at going out with a bang.
Here are five teams that should seriously consider trading for Kevin Durant and five teams that should avoid his services.
Which teams should trade or stay away from Kevin Durant in 2026?
Should Trade: Denver Nuggets
For the fans who are saying that the Nuggets’ championship window has closed, you are dead wrong. As we’ve seen in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, it’s clear that the trio of Murray, Gordon, and Jokic can still go toe to toe against the best in the business.
What they lack is a player who is confident about scoring the ball, whether catching and shooting or pulling up for a jumper off the bounce. Before you contest this vision, just imagine if the Nuggets had Kevin Durant instead of the ever-inconsistent Michael Porter Jr. at the small forward spot in this year’s playoffs. They would breeze through the competition.
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If the Nuggets somehow manage to trade for Kevin Durant in the summer, then they’ll be favorites to win it all in 2026.
Should Avoid: Miami Heat
Miami is at a crossroads right now. While they have two all-star-caliber players on the roster, both are tier three at best. That’s not a dig at Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, though, as all fans knew from the start that the duo isn’t capable of delivering a title for the Heat anytime soon.
Will adding Kevin Durant to their current roster make them instant title favorites as soon as next season? Well, that’s a huge NO. At this stage of his career, KD is much better suited to playing either the second or third option for a title-contending team.
With the Heat, he’d be tasked to do most of the heavy lifting at the offensive end. While KD may like the idea of being the top dog for another team, it would be wise for Coach Spo and the rest of the Heat organization to stay away from his services due to the lingering injury issues that Durant has had to deal with in the last five years.
Should Trade: Golden State Warriors
Kevin Durant had the chance to return to the Warriors before nixing it, as he preferred to stay in a Suns uniform. Bet that he’d had some regrets over that decision, huh? Even though the Warriors fell short of a title in 2025, there is no doubt that they are closer to reaching that goal than the Phoenix Suns.
Even with Jimmy Butler’s addition, adding KD to their current lineup in the summer would make the Warriors title favorites in 2026. There’s no question about the possibility. All eyes will be on Golden State.
Due to their aging core, some unforeseen injuries may sprout here and there. But if the Warriors play it right by keeping them in pristine condition come playoff time, the foursome of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green will be a nightmare matchup for any team in the 2026 postseason.
Should Avoid: Los Angeles Lakers
Since the Lakers surprisingly scooped up Luka Doncic in February from the Mavs, people genuinely believe that the team’s general manager, Rob Pelinka, can magically do it all over again at the drop of a hat.
But does Kevin Durant really want to play alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James at this stage of his career? While we know that Luka and LeBron love to share the ball, adding a ball-dominant scorer like KD might bring more harm than good for the Lakers.
And if we are being honest with it, unless something dramatic happens in the offseason, the Lakers are still a few years away from title contention. Their current roster has some obvious needs, like having a legitimate big man in the middle and some bench help. Bringing Durant in won’t address those immediate needs in LA.
Should Trade: San Antonio Spurs
Dealing the number two overall pick in June’s draft for Kevin Durant may be a bit pricy for the Spurs’ liking. However, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have another avenue to bring the former MVP to Texas.
The Spurs do have a lot of tradable assets, such as picks and several role players, that could help the Suns hasten their rebuilding process should they decide to explore trading away KD. With the Spurs, Durant will have the chance to play as the second option behind Victor Wembanyama.
Is this team going to be a title favorite as soon as 2026? If Wembanyama, Durant, and Fox are healthy, then that’s a resounding yes! San Antonio needs a veteran scorer who can rise on the occasion in the postseason, and Durant can be that guy for them.
Should Avoid: Dallas Mavericks
There’s no way that Dallas would entertain the idea of trading away their number one pick in June in exchange for the services of Kevin Durant. You can bet that the Suns will push for that, though—no harm in shooting for the stars. The Mavs have made it known that they would select Cooper Flagg as the number one overall pick in June.
Does Dallas have other ways to entice a deal with the Suns? Yes, they do. A combination of either Derrick Lively or Daniel Gafford, plus a plethora of role players and their future firsts, should do the trick. In hindsight, the pairing would make sense on paper, but not on the court.
Getting KD would hamper Flagg’s growth as a player since both players occupy the same position. There’s no room for them to coexist. Plus, there’s the uncertainty about Kyrie Irving’s return after a brutal injury. There are a lot more questions than answers about this one.
But for the fun of it, just imagine if Mavs GM Nico Harrison makes this deal, though. Their fans might instigate a revolution.
Should Trade: Houston Rockets
All Texas teams are here, eh? Here’s a little fun fact before we start dissecting KD to Houston. The 2025 playoffs are the first time that no team from either Texas or California has made it to the Western Conference Finals since 1996. Crazy stuff, I know.
Now, let’s go back to this Kevin Durant discussion. The Rockets were trounced in the first round of the 2025 Playoffs as the second seed in the West. While their improvement as a team this season was commendable, every basketball fan knows that Houston lacks a go-to scorer when things get rough on the basketball court.
This is where Kevin Durant comes in. He could quickly elevate the Rockets’ ceiling and possibly make them a contender as soon as next year. Heck, they might finish as the top-seeded team in the West in 2026. Make this happen, please.
Should Avoid: Minnesota Timberwolves
Fans might envision a Durant-Edwards pairing, but this would spell disaster rather than success. For starters, Wolves star Anthony Edwards wants to annihilate his idols, not play alongside them. ANT is the alpha for Minnesota, and he won’t relinquish that position now or in the immediate future.
Minnesota needs a point guard, not another scorer on the floor. Unfortunately, KD and ANT aren’t good passers. They both need the ball in their hands to dominate games.
We could also say that the Wolves aren’t keen on adding KD since their current roster has reached the Western Conference Finals two years in a row. The team knows that it has other needs in the offseason, and trading for KD isn’t one of them.
Should Trade: Oklahoma City Thunder
Is there a way to elevate OKC’s ceiling as a team? Of course. Trading for Kevin Durant in the summer should make them instant juggernauts in the NBA. Despite the Thunder’s rise in the last couple of seasons, they are solely riding on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s brilliance on the court.
This young team doesn’t have a clear number two option on the roster. Neither Jalen Williams nor Chet Holmgren is a legitimate second option. At this point in their careers, they are more like tier three or tier four players.
Adding KD would instantly provide them a clear-cut number two option for the next few years. Not only that, but they would also be favored to win multiple titles in the immediate future. And for sentimental purposes, seeing Durant in a Thunder uniform again would bring chills to every die-hard NBA fan.
Can Russ join, too? We need a reunion.
Should Avoid: New York Knicks
There’s no doubt that Knicks fans would want this to happen. They’ve been longing for Kevin Durant to sign with them or for the team to make a trade to acquire his services for more than a decade. On paper, Durant should elevate the Knicks to contenders, especially in the Eastern Conference.
However, too much of a good thing might not be so good to have in the first place. The Knicks, as currently constructed, are a damn near-perfect machine on the court. They have scorers and hustle guys who complement each other’s games. Despite Durant’s pedigree, he might bring more harm than good to the Knicks.
Durant’s game is isolation-heavy. The Knicks already have a player like that with Jalen Brunson. He’s far younger, too, and beginning to morph into one of the NBA’s best players. In addition, KD doesn’t fit well into Coach Thibs’ offensive or defensive schemes.
Thibs likes guys who crash the boards, swing the rock for open guys, and starters that could play more than 40 minutes per night. Sadly, Durant will be 37 next season, and he’s not equipped to perform all of those things at this stage of his career. If he were 30, maybe he’s up for it.
