The player who wouldn't move to the Minnesota Timberwolves... not even to get Kevin Durant!
They are clearly one of the teams that could become the superstars of the Phoenix Suns, but they are not willing to trade just any piece of their roster.
Last month, before the NBA trade deadline, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a move for Kevin Durant, a player from the Phoenix Suns. In the end, nothing materialized. However, as the regular season nears its end, most expect the Arizona franchise to resume discussions about trading their star and eventually swap the future Hall of Famer.
As things stand, it is most likely that the Timberwolves will enter the bidding for Durant. However, according to recent reports, there is a specific player that the Timberwolves will not want to trade (even for the two-time NBA Finals MVP), and that player is Jaden McDaniels.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Timberwolves were unwilling to include McDaniels or Anthony Edwards in discussions for Durant. Instead, the Timberwolves included Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, whom they acquired from the New York Knicks this past offseason.
"The Timberwolves aggressively pursued Durant in trade talks before the deadline and are expected to circle back this summer, but were unwilling to move star guard Anthony Edwards and versatile forward Jaden McDaniels in discussions, league sources told HoopsHype. Instead, Timberwolves forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo were discussed as part of the trade talks for Durant."
According to Scotto, the Suns have interest in an impending free agent from the Timberwolves, Naz Reid. Reid is the current Sixth Man of the Year and plays a significant role in Minnesota. Additionally, while the Suns have reportedly shown interest in Reid, the Timberwolves are not keen on moving on from him. As reported by Scotto, they instead plan on re-signing the big man when he hits free agency in the offseason.
"It’s also worth noting that current Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid attracted interest from the Suns as part of discussions about the Durant trade," league sources told HoopsHype. "He’s expected to decline his $15 million player option for the 2025-26 season and enter unrestricted free agency this summer. However, Minnesota hopes to re-sign Reid to a long-term deal."
The possibility for the Wolves to sign Kevin Durant
As things stand, a trade involving Durant this offseason seems inevitable. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the expectation is that the Suns will trade Durant this summer.
"Yes, Durant will likely be traded this summer. He knows it, the Suns know it, the rest of the league knows it, they’re going to enjoy him while they have him. It’s not really controversial, frankly… you have an extremely expensive team that’s not winning, and the player who is your highest-paid player, who is playing very well but isn’t impacting them at a positive level, you don’t need a top analyst to tell you that they probably need to trade him, which is why they were exploring the transfer market for him… I would expect Durant and the Suns to work together to find him a new home this summer."
Adding Durant to the roster could be crucial for the Timberwolves. They are already a playoff contender and are aiming to bring a title to Minnesota. Durant remains one of the best players in the NBA with championship experience. This summer, Durant's situation will be worth monitoring. A trade seems likely. Where he ends up, however, is not certain. Nonetheless, Timberwolves fans will want to stay tuned.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El jugador que no traspasaría Minnesota Timberwolves... ¡ni para hacerse con Kevin Durant!
