Top Trade Destination for Suns Star Kevin Durant Revealed

The Suns are likely to split with Durant after this season - where will the star end up?

Mar 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) looks up after a play during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- Life has been looking better for the Phoenix Suns over the last two weeks.

The Suns now sit at 33-37 and in position of the number 10 seed in the West in what has been a turbulent season - unfortunately this late-season effort is unlikely to change the fate of the current roster come June.

The restrictive second-apron, a lack of draft assets, and other pressing factors will ultimately force at least some change - and one longtime NBA media member believes the change will be quite expansive.

Chris Mannix of SI recently did a league-wide mailbag where he answered tough questions - including the future direction of the Suns.

Mannix believes that a Kevin Durant trade is virtually inevitable this off-season - and that Durant has a destination in mind.

More below:

"It’s no secret that Phoenix will split with Kevin Durant this summer. Durant has one year left on his contract and even approaching 37 still has incredibly high value. I think—and this is just my opinion—that Durant wants to wind up in Houston. I think if the Rockets wanted Durant before the trade deadline, it would have happened. Durant has a lot of respect for Ime Udoka and in Houston he could be a missing piece to a title contender. I’d keep an eye on that after this season."

The sentiment out of Houston has been that the franchise was set on using this season to evaluate the young core instead of making a splash move to accelerate the timeline of contention - it now feels justifiable to make moves towards contention since they currently hold the number two seed in the Western Conference

Phoenix could also look to fire Mike Budenholzer, replace him with a coach that both Durant and Devin Booker approve of, while lastly looking to find a destination that Bradley Beal would approve a trade to in an effort to better re-shape the roster around the star duo.

While the Suns have won substantially more compared to the losses that have been accrued when the two stars play together, it could feel as if the latter option is a last-ditch desperation move - as the Oklahoma City Thunder still loom large and it feels extremely unlikely that Phoenix can bridge that gap with a trade or two.

If a Durant trade were to materialize, it feels like Houston and the Miami Heat are the two most logical destinations. Houston seems to be the ultimate landing spot if Durant has the final say - expect Phoenix to potentially receive Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet, another prospect (possibly Reed Sheppard) and a pick or two in return to kickstart the re-tool.

Devin Booker would be given the resources to succeed as he enters his prime after multiple mistakes post Durant trade have harmed the timeline as a contender - that would be the ideal scenario for many Suns fans.

The NBA off-season is still three months away - much can change in that expansive time gap. Until then, the Suns control their own destiny to earn a spot in the play-in tournament - that quest continues tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers.