Exit! Three teams in the league compete for Durant, the Rockets lead, and the Spurs are ultimately missed

The lights at the Suns Training Hall were not clear all night in the summer night of Phoenix. In the general manager's office, the trading plan for Kevin Durant has been covered. According to famous reporter Shams, the Suns officially cooperated with the Durant team to screen the next home. The transfer process of the historic scorer suddenly accelerated, but the Spurs, which were once regarded as the number one hottest, quietly left the court. The Timberwolves, Rockets, and Mavericks, advanced to the final competition. Let's take a look at the situation of the three teams:

1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Edwards' "Idol Offensive"

Anthony Edwards regarded Durant as an idol since childhood and established a master-apprentice friendship at the 2024 Olympics. It is revealed that Edwards is personally lobbying the management to promote the transaction. If it can be reached, Durant can fill the Timberwolves' firepower shortcomings in the Timberwolves' front line, and the pick-and-roll cover with Gobert can release his unsolved mid-range shot. If Towns is sent, the Timberwolves will form the new three giants of Durant + Edwards + Gobert. The salary structure is still controllable, and the team will become the favorite to compete for the championship next season.

2. Houston Rockets: The "nuclear deterrence" of draft picks

The Rockets master the Suns' unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029, and can force the Suns to accept the "replacement by sign" plan. Durant's joining will directly solve the problem of the Rockets' offensive power outage. If Shen Kyung + Amen Thompson is retained, Durant can play the "ultimate terminal" without taking organizational pressure, then the Rockets will definitely go further in the playoffs next season.

3. The Heat's reshape the lineup

The Heat's first round of the first round of the season exposed their lack of scoring ability. Durant can fill the core vacancy of Butler after leaving the team. If Adebayo + Wiggins is retained, it will form a new version of the Big Three, and strive for the finals against the backdrop of weakening competition in the Eastern Conference (the Bucks are recession and the Celtics are trapped in luxury tax).

Although the Spurs once shocked the league with the idea of ​​"Venban Yama + Durant", the management has always refused to include the 21-year-old French genius in any trading plan. When the Suns asked to use Venban as the core chip, the Spurs immediately terminated the negotiations, making it an irreplaceable cornerstone for the Holy City. The Spurs proposed an alternative (Sohan + Vassel + No. 14 in 2025) was greeted by the Suns. Although Vassel has immediate combat power (18.4 points per game), the Suns value high picks or young cores more. Durant's team clearly demanded to "fight the championship immediately", but the Spurs only won 35 last season and are still in the middle of the reconstruction, which has a fundamental conflict with Durant's demands. In this way, it will be difficult for both sides to reach it.

Durant proved that he is still the top scorer in the league with an average of 26.6 points + 52.7%/43.0% shooting rate, but the annual salary of $54.71 million and the 37-year-old rule make the transaction a cruel trade-off about "the present and the future". It is currently a bidding game between the Timberwolves, the Rockets, and the Mavericks. The gamble of youth talent (Rockets), the quick success of superstars (Timberwolves), and the Heat want to return to the peak. Where will Durant go in the end? I believe there will be a final answer in this offseason. Everyone thinks Durant will go there. Welcome to discuss in the comment section!