The struggling San Antonio Spurs are likely hoping for a quick end to the regular season with their hopes of the playoffs slipping away by the game. After all, they could have two top 10 picks in a well-regarded 2025 NBA draft, and that could give them a chance to finish rounding out their roster around superstar Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox.
However, they have a unique opportunity to add a third star to their roster without sacrificing their main core. They traded two large contracts and several picks in the deal to acquire Fox. Nevertheless, they still have two other large contracts that they could package along with multiple picks to try and entice the Phoenix Suns.
Grade the Trade: The Spurs land Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns.
The proposed trade would see the Spurs ship Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, the higher of their two 2025 firsts, and another future first for Kevin Durant. Such a deal would instantly put the Spurs in contention while also allowing them some flexibility to continue to build around Wembanyama in the long-term.
On the other hand, it would allow the Suns to hit the reset button and begin to either retool around Devin Booker or completely rebuild. Both Vassell's and Johnson's futures with the Spurs are very much in question. Johnson has played much better post-All-Star break, likely raising his trade value, but his streaky shooting has often led to inconsistent play.
Meanwhile, Vassell was in the midst of a nightmare stretch of awful play. He averaged just 12.8 points and shot 23.6% from three in a 10-game span before breaking out and scoring a career-high 37 points against the Brooklyn Nets recently. He isn't nearly as bad as he is played recently, with him being an above-average starting shooting guard and still only 23 years old.
Nevertheless, his numbers are down compared to last season, and his inability to stay healthy should give the Spurs pause. Depending on how the Suns view him, Vassell being on a mostly declining contract for the next four seasons could be interesting.
Will the Phoenix Suns or Spurs agree to a Durant trade?
If the Suns opt to retool around Booker, then taking a flyer on a player who has shown plenty of offensive potential and is still young enough to take another leap forward is a reasonable gamble for them.
Trading two players in their early to mid-twenties for a 36-year-old star may seem risky for the Spurs, but it's perhaps a reasonable move for them. After all, Durant has proven that he is still a dominant offensive player, averaging 27 points per game this season. Despite his age, there is little reason to doubt that he could still be the same caliber of offensive player as he nears his forties.
In fact, any team looking to acquire Durant should be operating under the assumption that he can still be a great player for the next three seasons. If it ends up being the case, then getting three good years of Durant and pairing him with Wembanyama and Fox may be too good for San Antonio to pass up.
Especially with them being able to hold on to a potential future star in Stephon Castle. Those four players and Harrison Barnes would make for a potent lineup that could challenge any team in the NBA.
Whether the Suns would agree to trade Durant to the Spurs is unclear. Other teams will have interest, but his market may not be as big as expected with teams such as the Houston Rockets potentially wanting to build organically.
Meanwhile, his former team, the Golden State Warriors, would have a difficult time matching salary to acquire Durant, making a potential reunion much more difficult. That may give the Spurs an opportunity this offseason to form a super team.