The Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant have done a good job putting an “open for trade” sign in flashing neon lights to other NBA executives.
But the trade climate less than a week from the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday is not matching the enthusiasm of rumors.
And now we have a little sense of where the Durant trade market stands and how good — or bad — discussions are going for the Suns between two teams, the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat.
Reporting from long-time NBA insider Marc Stein, as well as SportsNet’s Michael Grange, point to the Raptors — an already unlikely landing spot for Durant — and what Toronto is not willing to part with in a Durant trade.
From Grange:
The reports that the Raptors are monitoring his situation are credible and make sense, given Toronto had conversations with the Suns back in February about the possibility of a Durant trade.
But to cut through some of the smoke: multiple sources have confirmed to me that Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl would not be part of any deal — however unlikely a Raptors-Suns deal might be — centred around Durant. The Suns were asking for Poeltl at the trade deadline and got a firm ‘no’ back then, but that hasn’t stopped them from asking, apparently.
Stein confirmed that report, adding that the Raptors are seeking to potentially extend Poeltl.
Poeltl would immediately become the Suns’ answer for a starting center if he were acquired. The 29-year-old averaged 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game and in 595 NBA games is a 63% shooter. He also has a little playmaking juice and last year averaged 2.8 assists per game.
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Taking him out of a deal in any theoretical two-team trade between Phoenix and Toronto means the Suns could center a trade around point guard Immanuel Quickley and wing R.J. Barrett — the Suns acquiring both would require cap-freeing moves by Phoenix first — plus more filler if it’s only one of the two.
Stein added that Phoenix’s trade talks with the Miami Heat also at this point do not include a starting-caliber center coming back to the Suns.
Just like Poeltl in Toronto, Miami is said to be firmly against including standout rookie center Kel’el Ware in their offers for Durant, sources say. Without Ware in a theoretical trade, Phoenix is presumed to be seeking future first-round draft capital from Miami to help deliver Durant to South Beach at long last.
Ware, the No. 15 pick in the 2024 draft, was a low-floor, high-ceiling prospect who showcased his upside in 2024-25.
He averaged 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds with 36 starts in 64 games played, flashing some stretch-5 abilities to complement his elite athleticism as a rim-roller.
Take that non-inclusion combined with Toronto’s, and it’s clear the Suns are still battling to get a reasonable trade return for a top wing scorer in the league, even if Durant could be playing as a 37-year-old on an expiring contract.
Durant, a 15-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer, appeared in 145 regular games with Phoenix and averaged 26.6 points on 52.7% shooting and 42.7% from long range.
Even worse, Stein suggested the Suns don’t even have decent draft assets on the table from several of the teams in the Durant conversation.
League sources say that the Suns’ Durant discussions in recent days have likewise featured attempts to coax, say, Toronto to part with its No. 9 overall pick on Wednesday night. Or Minnesota’s No. 17 selection. Or Miami’s turn at No. 20.
Add these things up, and that is why the expectation is that the Suns could be pushing into draft day to get an acceptable deal for the star who appears all but certain to be leaving.
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