Rumor: Spurs among teams in trade talks for Kevin Durant

When your team isn’t a part of the NBA Finals, the wait for the draft can be the most boring stretch of the year (at least outside of August, when free agency and Summer League is mostly over but training camp is still over a month away). However, this year has been somewhat entertaining for Spurs fans so far despite not making the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Not only were they blessed in the lottery with the 2nd overall pick, but they have consistently been a part of trade rumors, usually involving superstars.

While the Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors that never really got off the ground are presumably gone for good now that he reportedly plans to stay in Milwaukee, another all-time great is hitting the market, with ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting the Suns and Kevin Durant’s business partner Rich Kleiman are sorting through trade “scenarios”, and teams inquiring include the Spurs.

The Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant’s business partner, Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman, have met multiple times over the past week and are sifting through trade scenarios, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

The two sides are expected to work together on potential destinations.

Teams that have expressed interest in Durant, sources said, mainly feature the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks. Several wild-card suitors have made inquiries on Durant in the past seven to 10 days, sources said.

Shams is the first source I truly trust to report on this, but there has been plenty of smoke leading up to now. A source reportedly told Sam Amico’s Hoopswire that the Spurs are Durant’s preferred destination. Also, not surprisingly, the Spurs are the odds-on betting favorites to land Durant (not that it means anything).

Of course, the challenge is knowing who and what all to believe, and it’s hard to pin anything down on what a trade for Durant might entail because rumors have been all over the place. Most “rumors” have included at least Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and the 14th pick. This almost works from a salary standpoint, although the Spurs would have to tack on someone else like Malaki Branham or Blake Wesley to truly match and avoid bringing on extra salary, and usually a three-for-one deal will require getting a third party involved.

Arizona Radio announcer John Gambadoro also mentioned Jeremy Sochan and notes that there to seems be more legs to the Spurs rumors than others (beginning at the 2:40 mark).

Of course, there is a point where the asking price is too large for an aging, 37-year old veteran. I’ve never heard of Shadab Khan so I don’t know whether to believe this or not, but if there is any truth to this report, the Spurs know what is too much.

It’s worth noting what is missing from all these rumors. One thing is the 2nd overall pick, so it sounds like the Spurs have no intention of giving it away. The same could be said for Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox (and it goes without saying that Victor Wembanyama is untouchable). Keldon Johnson has also rarely shown up in any rumors, which may or may not be related to the relationship he shares with Durant thanks to their time together on Team USA.

Regardless of what’s real and what isn’t, we’ve reached the point that there’s enough smoke around the rumor of Durant to the Spurs to acknowledge it. (We did the same thing with Fox, and look what happened.) Of course, there will be plenty of hurdles and considerations when it comes to deciding how much Durant would actually be worth giving up for the Spurs. Jesus Gomez recently wrote about both the pros and cons of bringing him aboard, so be sure to go check it out if you haven’t already or need a refresher.

In the meantime, we will continue to monitor this situation closely and report on any more credible rumors that may come out.