Minnesota Sports Forum

The Phoenix Suns have been underwhelmed by the offers from the Heat, Spurs, and Rockets, and are hoping Kevin Durant will warm up to the idea of playing in Minnesota, per @JonKrawczynski & @sam_amick

“With the offers from the Spurs, Rockets and Heat coming up short to this point, league sources say the Suns are still hopeful that Durant might warm to the Timberwolves possibility.”

kekgeek wrote: ↑Mon Jun 16, 2025 11:49 pm The Phoenix Suns have been underwhelmed by the offers from the Heat, Spurs, and Rockets, and are hoping Kevin Durant will warm up to the idea of playing in Minnesota, per @JonKrawczynski & @sam_amick

“With the offers from the Spurs, Rockets and Heat coming up short to this point, league sources say the Suns are still hopeful that Durant might warm to the Timberwolves possibility.”

Im gonna put on my out there thinking cap on.

Wolves have the best trade out there.

Suns tell Durant that wolves have best trade but he rather go to those other 3 teams so it leaked.

Therefore its leaked to try to get those 3 trams to bid more and it didn’t work.

Now this story pops up that wolves only want him if he really wants to come here. So he can save face for when he's eventually traded here since it was reported before he didn't want to come here.

rapsuperstar31 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 16, 2025 8:57 pm

Coolbreeze44 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 16, 2025 8:11 pm

AbeVigodaLive wrote: ↑Mon Jun 16, 2025 2:34 pm


Well it is definitely cold. But NBA players spend a significant amount of that time in airports, in a gym or out of town.

As for the Twin Cities being a shithole... would be interesting to see how you compare it with other NBA cities. MN is noted for a pretty high standard quality of life.

Maybe 20 years ago. It's sad to see what's happened to that great state.

You do realize we are literally in one of the most peaceful eras in human history? There are no wars that the USA is involved in. This isn't the cowboy days when you could hanged for looking at someone funny in a saloon. This isn't the first settlers of Minnesota era where people froze to death. It might not be quite what it was 20 years ago, but it's still pretty peaceful and you can still walk down the street in Minneapolis and have almost 0% chance of anything bad happening to you.

Yeah but now you have the police beating, terrorizing and even killing people or throwing them in cages, not to mention the GOV taking most of your labor production through many means. Do you really think the cowboy days were like that? I don't. Super over dramatized in movies to make us FEEL GOOD about todays circumstances.

I think people had to much more love and help one another survive, not step on each other like today. The system rewards greed and stepping on the next guy, it's "just business". I would say as a whole things are worse and less satisfying. Sure easy comfort, easy tech, easy food, easy travel, yada yada yada. But the trade offs are real. Easy is also not rewarding and I think more people struggle mentally and physically now then ever. Just look at people.

If Durant for Rudy+ happens and ends up being a1 year rental, but the Wolves end up freeing cap space for next year when more players are available, and if we use 17 and 31 to move up in the draft and grab a defensive big( that most of us would like to see), and the kids get playing time, would that be a positive outcome? I might lean towards the opinion that TC is playing 3d chess.

DNatagal wrote: ↑Tue Jun 17, 2025 8:38 am If Durant for Rudy+ happens and ends up being a1 year rental, but the Wolves end up freeing cap space for next year when more players are available, and if we use 17 and 31 to move up in the draft and grab a defensive big( that most of us would like to see), and the kids get playing time, would that be a positive outcome? I might lean towards the opinion that TC is playing 3d chess.

I’d be fine if it were just Rudy or Randle for Durant. The problem is that it can’t be just Rudy or Randle because of the CBA salary match requirement. There’s an approximately 20 million gap between Rudy’s salary and Durant’s and around a $24 million gap between Randle’s opt-in and Durant’s salary. That means, the Wolves have to send out considerably more salary and that likely means trading multiple players, which could be both Rudy and Randle but more likely other assets as well. Meanwhile, the Suns are intent or reducing their payroll, which means the need for a 3rd team and the Wolves would likely have to give up more assets to entice a 3rd team.

If we end up with Durant I think we’ll find that TC was playing checkers while the other three suitors, Miami, Houston, Spurs, were playing chess. The Suns are just playing hard ball and counting on another team’s executive being obsessed with acquiring Durant and lacking the discipline to restrain that obsession. The only thing between the Wolves and a bad deal for Durant is Durant himself and his preference for one of the other three teams.

I think Durant will end up with the Wolves. At the end of the day, Durant’s preference doesn’t matter to the Suns. They control his rights and can trade him to whomever they want. It seems that the Wolves have the best deal on the table right now, which is why we keep hearing leaked reports that Durant doesn’t want to come here. The Suns will give the other three teams some time to put better offers on the table, but I don’t see that happening because they all understand that the value of today’s 37-year old Durant isn’t close to the prior 30-year old Durant. That’s why we’ve heard reports that the Suns are not impressed by the offers of those other three teams. They’re offering what he’s worth, not what the Suns thought he was worth several years ago when they traded for him and even then he wasn’t worth what they gave up. So I think the Wolves offer will remain the best one on the table and it’s only a matter of time before the Suns accept it.

The only question in my mind is whether Durant will sign an extension with the Wolves or come here as a one-year rental. That will be a choice for the Wolves and Durant but neither option strikes me as a good one for the Wolves. The idea of an extension at the price Durant would likely insist on seems ridiculous given his age and the Wolves already precarious payroll situation. Yet, the idea of giving up meaningful assets for a one-year rental seems almost as bad. But at least the one-year rental would leave us with some payroll relief next summer.

We’ll see what happens. I hope I’m wrong and that Durant ends up in Miami.

If TC and Finch see the path going forward without Rudy and the trade does not include 17 and 31 (possible Rudy replacements), I would be open to a one year KD rental, if he really wouldn't stay.

Would KD NOT come in and be his best self in Minnesota? I'm skeptical but it is slightly concerning that he does not seem to be prioritizing winning when he seeks out Miami and San Antonio over the Wolves.

Phenom wrote: ↑Tue Jun 17, 2025 9:24 am If TC and Finch see the path going forward without Rudy and the trade does not include 17 and 31 (possible Rudy replacements), I would be open to a one year KD rental, if he really wouldn't stay.

Would KD NOT come in and be his best self in Minnesota? I'm skeptical but it is slightly concerning that he does not seem to be prioritizing winning when he seeks out Miami and San Antonio over the Wolves.

I’m not sure where Durant’s head is at. I think he likes to be comfortable and prefers the easy path. He clearly wants the money. He hasn’t been a winner in a long time - not since he was paired with players who had already won a championship and set the League’s record for most wins in a season. And his choices certainly suggest that winning occupies a lower rung on his priority ladder.

I’m a hell no on giving Durant an extension at anything close to the level he’s likely to insist on. I might be OK with a one-year Durant rental, provided our outgoing package does not include any of the following: Ant, Jaden, Naz, Dilly, TSJ, Clark, pick #17 or pick #31. With or without any of those players/assets, I think the Wolves outgoing package would likely include Rudy, Randle and Donte. That’s a lot to give up for any one-year rental. Even worse, I don’t foresee the Wolves getting Durant without giving up at least one and probably two of those players/picks I listed in part because of the need to entice a 3rd team to participate.

[O'Connor] Kevin Durant had interest in joining the Boston Celtics or New York Knicks at the trade deadline, but it's unlikely that either team swings a trade for him this offseason

Every time Charania talks about Durant, he mentions “wild cards” and “dark horses.” His colleague Marc Spears even said there's “fear” from KD and his agent Rich Kleiman that teams won't “respect” what Durant wants.

Sure, everyone wants a say in where they live and work. But Durant’s on a run of bad choices. First KD picked Brooklyn, and the Nets had to trade Jarrett Allen because KD and Kyrie Irving insisted on signing DeAndre Jordan. Disaster. Then he picked Phoenix. After one year, both he and Devin Booker wanted Deandre Ayton to get traded, which resulted in Jusuf Nurkic. And Durant admitted to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports that he pushed for the Bradley Beal acquisition. Another big mess. Maybe the best thing for Durant is not getting what he wants.

In fact, Durant has already been denied by his top choices. There were rumblings at the trade deadline KD wanted to land with the Celtics or Knicks. New York’s interest reportedly isn’t mutual anymore. Boston’s cap sheet and trajectory make that scenario highly unlikely.

The Suns are "hopeful" Kevin Durant reconsiders and wants to be traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick.

I think the reporting is clear enough to tell us three things. First, the Wolves have put the best offer on the table by far. Second, Durant doesn’t want to come to the Wolves. Third, the Wolves will only do the deal if they can sign Durant to a multi-year extension. This last point is clear because Durant not wanting to go to the Wolves would not stop the Suns from making the trade. It’s obviously, the Wolves who are insisting on an extension as a condition of doing the deal.

I’m certain TC has an offer on the table I’m going to hate. TC’s proving to be a sucker for big name stars and adept at negotiating against himself. The Suns are intent on offloading Durant. There’s absolutely no chance they’re going to keep him. And the other teams are responding appropriately with what are likely very modest offers. Leave it to TC to offer picks and young prospects like Dilly and/or TSJ. Hope I’m wrong, but the reporting speaks for itself. The Suns really want to take our offer and Durant’s aversion to coming to the Wolves is the only thing standing in the way.

Guys remember that TC's trades always come out of the blue. He doesn't operate in public and does a masterful job at keeping things in house. Expect the unexpected.