Durant prefers Heat, Spurs, Rockets, sources say

The Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant's preferred trade destinations, sources told ESPN on Saturday night. People across the NBA have been made aware in recent days that those are the three teams Durant would commit to with a long-term extension.

Durant is on an expiring $54.7 million deal for the 2025-26 season and the Suns have made clear to the six to eight seriously interested teams that they will make the best deal for the franchise, even if it means trading Durant to a team outside his preferred list, sources said.

Teams around the NBA have been anticipating that Durant would be traded ever since the Suns engaged in talks around the February trade deadline, which passed with the 15-time All-Star still in Phoenix.

Once he is traded, Durant will be eligible to sign a two-year contract extension July 6 worth as much as $122 million. If he were to wait six months after the trade, he could sign a two-year extension worth up to $124 million.

The NBA free agency market resets in the summer of 2026, with teams that have cap space increasing from just one this offseason, the Brooklyn Nets, to half of the league.

Durant was nearly traded to the Golden State Warriors at the February trade deadline before he made it clear that he was not interested in a reunion and preferred to finish the season with the Suns. At the time, sources told ESPN that Durant was blindsided by the Suns including him in any trade conversations. This time around, the sides are expected to work together on his next home.

Durant, who turns 37 in September, made his 15th All-Star team this season and averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 62 games. The future Hall of Famer has averaged at least 25 points, 50% shooting and 40% on 3-pointers in three straight seasons, the longest streak ever in the NBA, according to ESPN Research. As a shooter, Durant remains prolific: He shot an NBA-best on jumpers (49.7%) and midrange shots (53.1%). He also had the best shooting percentage on off-the-dribble jumpers (50.9%), according to GeniusIQ.

The Suns went 36-46 this season and finished in 11th place in the Western Conference with the highest payroll in league history, leading to organizational changes that culminated in naming executive Brian Gregory as the new general manager and hiring Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott as their new coach.

Durant arrived in Phoenix in a February 2023 deadline trade, and his 26.8 points per game as a member of the franchise is the most in Suns history.