The Phoenix Suns have reportedly reached an agreement on a trade with the Houston Rockets centered around former NBA MVP and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Sunday (June 22).

“BREAKING: The Phoenix Suns are trading two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks, sources tell ESPN,” Charania wrote on his X account.

Durant, 36, was reported to prefer the Rockets, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs as preferred trade destinations prior to the move being made on Sunday. The former NBA MVP has one year remaining on his contract and is eligible to sign a two-year extension next month.

The Phoenix Suns are close to trading 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports reports.

“A Kevin Durant deal is very close. Phoenix continues to work with multiple teams to get the deal they want and I expect it will happen today or tomorrow,” Gambadoro wrote on X on Sunday, June 22.

The Suns have Wednesday, June 25, the first day of the 2025 NBA Draft, as their artificial deadline for a Durant deal. They want to execute the selection of whatever draft pick they can get in the return package for the future Hall of Famer.

So far, the Suns have talked to at least five teams, according to multiple reports. Three teams — the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets — are on Durant’s list of preferred destinations, according to ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania.

Either of the three teams is where Durant is amenable to sign an extension.

Durant has one year and $54.7 million left in his current four-year, $190 million contract. He can sign a two-year, $112 million extension wherever he lands next. If he waits six months after the trade, he could fetch more — $124 million over two years, according to Charania.

Two more teams — Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors — outside of Durant’s list have a puncher’s chance of landing Durant, who could be a one-year rental unless he changes his mind.

Kevin Durant’s Expensive Price Tag

According to ESPN’s senior NBA writer Brian Windhorst, the Suns have a high asking price for Durant that has been dragging the trade talks.

“From what I am told, the Suns are looking for a comparable package for what they traded Kevin Durant, which is impact players and multiple draft assets,” Windhorst said on “NBA Today” on June 11. “I’m not sure they are going to be able to generate that because Durant is a couple of years older and his contract is short.”

The Suns gave up four first-round picks and a pick swap on top of Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges for Durant at the trade deadline in 2023. Three of those picks are now with the Rockets, who are in a great position to trade for Durant should they want to.

But the Rockets have drawn a firm line in the sand.

Where Teams Stand in Trade Talks

According to Clutchpoints’ Brett Seigel, the Suns have demanded more from the Rockets’ initial offer. However, the Rockets did not counteroffer and rejected their advances.

“Jalen Green and the 10th pick in this year’s draft present a clear opportunity for the Rockets to swing a deal, but the Suns have demanded more, sources said. Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and Reed Sheppard are among the young talents in Houston that Phoenix has expressed interest in. The Rockets have not been willing to part with any of the three to this point,” Seigel wrote.

Ditto with the Spurs, who made a firm stance that this year’s No. 2 pick and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle are “non-starter” in Durant trade talks, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.

The Heat have also kept standout rookie Ke’lel Ware off the table in the Durant discussions. The All-NBA Rookie Second Team center is viewed as the “swing piece” to get the deal done, per Fischer.

On the other hand, the Raptors are also unwilling to part ways with center Jakob Poeltl in a Durant deal, according to Michael Granger of Sportsnet Canada, especially if he’s just a one-year rental.

The Timberwolves could provide the best high-impact player for the Suns in either four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert or three-time All-NBA forward Julius Randle, per The Athletic. But they are also reluctant to go all in if Durant remains firm on his stance on Minnesota.

“I’m told Durant has no desire to be in Minnesota with the Timberwolves,” Charania said on SportsCenter on June 16.

Which among the five teams can get a deal done or is there another team that will spring a surprise?

The Phoenix Suns were accused of trying to drive up the price for a Kevin Durant trade at the expense of the Toronto Raptors, who are interested but are a long shot to win the bidding.

Michael Granger of Sportsnet Canada reported on Friday night that, contrary to earlier reports, the Raptors are unwilling to include center Jakob Poeltl in a potential Durant deal.

“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,” Granger wrote.

Suns Trying to Leverage Kevin Durant Trade Talks

Granger’s intel clashed with Brett Seigel of Clutchpoints report earlier Friday that the Raptors had an enticing offer to the Suns, which included Poeltl.

“Even though the Raptors’ offer of either RJ Barrett or Immanuel Quickley alongside potentially Jakob Poeltl and draft picks is enticing, it is the [Miami] Heat that league personnel are signaling as the team with a better chance at a deal,” Siegel wrote.

Granger explained that the talks involving Poeltl must have come from the Suns’ camp to drive up the price for Durant.

“The best way to understand any mention of Poeltl being in a trade for Durant — or anyone else, but in this case with the Suns — is to recognize that Phoenix is trying to drive up the price,” Granger wrote.

The Suns, after all, are trying to recoup most of what they gave up for Durant in 2023 — four first-round picks and a pick swap on top of Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges.

“If the Raptors are presented as having a strong offer waiting in the wings, perhaps one of Durant’s preferred suitors steps up with something richer, or a team like Minnesota — another team with interest that’s outside Durant’s list — sweetens the pot,” Granger wrote.

The Phoenix Suns‘ bid to acquire a center as part of the Kevin Durant trade package hit a roadblock as the Miami Heat remain firm in their stance on 7-footer Kel’el Ware.

According to Clutchpoints’ Brett Seigel, Ware is the player the Suns wanted in Durant deal with the Heat.

“Although the two sides are not right at the finish line yet in trade talks, one player can get them there,” Seigel wrote. “That would be Kel’el Ware, a rookie standout in Miami’s frontcourt who is a giant with his 7-foot-4 wingspan and two-way potential. If the Heat include Ware in a revamped package to what they have already offered, talks with the Suns will reach a whole new level, as he is the player Phoenix wants in discussions with Miami.”

However, the Heat aren’t budging, Jake Fischer of “The Stein Line” reported late Friday night.

“Miami is said to be firmly against including standout rookie center Kel’el Ware in their offers for Durant, sources say,” Fischer wrote.

The Heat have long been discussed in league circles as the frontrunners not only because they are one of Durant’s preferred teams, but also because of Ware, which the Suns covet.

“This is why many around the league who spoke with ClutchPoints view the Heat as the team that can get over the finish line the easiest,” Siegel wrote.

The 7-foot Ware was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 9.3 points on 55.4% shooting and 7.4 rebounds in 22.2 minutes.

Suns’ Ultimatum to Heat

But with the Heat unwilling to surrender Ware, the Suns are ready to move on.

“If Pat Riley and his front office don’t push more chips in to get Durant, a player Riley has wanted to bring to South Beach for years, they will be out, and the Suns will further their talks with the other teams interested,” Seigel wrote.

Aside from the Heat, the other teams interested in Durant who have a center are the Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Seigel reported the Raptors’ offer included Poeltl and another starter. But the Suns prefer Ware.

“Even though the Raptors’ offer of either RJ Barrett or Immanuel Quickley alongside potentially Jakob Poeltl and draft picks is enticing, it is the [Miami] Heat that league personnel are signaling as the team with a better chance at a deal,” Siegel wrote.

Timberwolves’ Stance

On the other hand, the Timberwolves could be the frontunner only if Durant wants to play in Minnesota.

According to Sam Amick and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Timberwolves have the bigs which fit the Suns’ need.

“The Wolves would seem to have options available to offer, with Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle headlining a package that could give the Suns hopes of contending,” Amick and Krawczynski wrote.

Gobert is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time All-Star and All-NBA center. Randle is a three-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA forward who can also play as small-ball center in a pinch.

Unfortunately, the Timberwolves are not willing to go all in unless Durant changes his mind on not extending if he’s traded to Minnesota.

“I’m told Durant has no desire to be in Minnesota with the Timberwolves,” ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania reported on SportsCenter on June 16.

Durant has one year and $54.7 million left in his current four-year, $190 million contract. He can sign a two-year, $112 million extension wherever he lands next. If he waits six months after the trade, he could fetch more — $124 million over two years, according to Charania.

The Miami Heat are the clear frontrunners in the Kevin Durant trade talks among league personnel, Clutchpoints’ Brett Seigel reported on Friday, June 20.

“Even though the Raptors’ offer of either RJ Barrett or Immanuel Quickley alongside potentially Jakob Poeltl and draft picks is enticing, it is the Heat that league personnel are signaling as the team with a better chance at a deal. Although the two sides are not right at the finish line yet in trade talks, one player can get them there,” Seigel wrote.

Kel’el Ware.

It is not the first time that Ware has been reported as the player who is keeping the Heat from getting a Durant deal to the finish line.

Last week, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported the same for “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter.

“Miami’s ultimate willingness to surrender Kel’el Ware, given the Suns’ noted hole at center, could be the true swing factor in the Heat’s Durant pursuit. In February, it was clear: Sources say Miami was unwilling at the trade deadline to part with either of its recent first-round draft successes: Ware or Jaime Jacquez Jr. Could that change now after Miami fell so flat in the playoffs with its post-Butler roster?” Fischer wrote.

Heat Remain Firm

Talks between the Heat and the Suns “will reach a whole new level” if Ware is included in a revamped trade package for Durant.

“This is why many around the league who spoke with ClutchPoints view the Heat as the team that can get over the finish line the easiest,” Siegel wrote.

However, the Heat have been unwilling to surrender Ware, according to Seigel.

“If Pat Riley and his front office don’t push more chips in to get Durant, a player Riley has wanted to bring to South Beach for years, they will be out, and the Suns will further their talks with the other teams interested,” Seigel wrote.

Fischer confirmed Seigel’s report later on Friday night.

“Miami is said to be firmly against including standout rookie center Kel’el Ware in their offers for Durant, sources say,” Fischer reported on the latest “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter.

Will Pat Riley Flinch?

According to Seigel, Andrew Wiggins and Ware would headline the framework of potential Heat package for Durant should they include the center fresh off an outstanding rookie campaign.

The 7-foot Ware was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 9.3 points on 55.4% shooting and 7.4 rebounds in 22.2 minutes. Wiggins was part of the return package the Heat received from the Warriors for Jimmy Butler.

On top of getting Ware, there is one more Suns’ goal in a Durant trade.

“Whatever happens, the Suns have signaled that they want to move out of the tax aprons altogether, which is why multiple teams will be involved to help take on unwanted salary,” Seigel wrote.

With one year and $54.7 million left on his four-year, $190 million deal, Durant is a flight risk after in what could be a one-year rental. Fortunately for the Heat, they are one of the three teams that Durant is willing to commit long-term should they trade for him, ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania reported. The other two are the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets.

Both Texas teams have been reluctant to go all-in on Durant because of his possible awkward fit with their very young timeline.

The Durant trade is for the Heat to lose.