The Spurs land Kevin Durant in potential blockbuster
For a while, it seemed as though the San Antonio Spurs were the frontrunners to land Kevin Durant. That appears to have slipped some with other teams having entered the fray for KD.
They are still among his preferred destinations and have plenty to offer, even though it appears they are unlikely to do so. Despite claims to the contrary, Durant fits the Spurs' timeline to a T.
Durant can play at a high level for the next three seasons, which at this point seems entirely possible given how well he's played at age 36. If he can, then he could give San Antonio a 3-year window to immediately contend starting next year.
Considering San Antonio hasn't made the playoffs in five years, the longest such drought in franchise history, that would be a massive upgrade and something they can't afford to pass on. Of course, the asking price will be the biggest hurdle for them to get past.
Assuming that the Suns want another asset from San Antonio, presumably another first-round pick or another member of the Spurs' young core, they will have to decide whether it's worth it to go all in for KD this summer. A hypothetical trade would send Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and the 14th pick to the Phoenix Suns for Durant.
The thought of San Antonio trading Sochan would likely be met with scorn from Spurs fans, considering he is a fan favorite, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Would the Phoenix Suns agree to the San Antonio Spurs' trade?
Sochan is a talented defender and a unique one. That is given that he is 6'9" and can easily defend point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards, and yes, even some centers.
Nevertheless, he is limited on the offensive end, with him being a poor 3-point shooter who passes up open threes. While he has improved his ball handling and finishing ability at the rim, he isn't a consistent threat as a slasher. That essentially makes him a center on offense, and the Spurs often played him behind Wemby this season.
If he never develops a three-point shot, then he becomes much less effective in the NBA. That's with him being hard to shoehorn in at power forward unless a team such as the Suns has a center who can space the floor beside him. They don't, but he is just 22 years old, so they'd have plenty of time to find one.
If the Spurs were to agree to move Sochan, the Suns may have to agree to some concessions. One potential concession is swapping out Harrison Barnes from the trade and installing Johnson.
Barnes is far older than Johnson but is also a far better fit on the Spurs than Johnson is. That's not to say that he isn't a valuable player.
In fact, Johnson averaged an impressive 14.8 points in just 24.8 minutes during the second half of this season. He is also on an affordable contract. Vassell is a wildcard, with him previously having averaged 19 points per game before having an awful 2024-25 season.
He might thrive in Phoenix, where he played college ball. If two of Vassell, Johnson, and Sochan pan out, then that would be great for Phoenix. Not to mention them also getting the 14th pick to try and add another key young long-term player.