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Report: Suns 'Strongly Considering' Kevin Durant Trade; Warriors Interest 'Serious'

Timothy Rapp

Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis and De'Aaron Fox may not be the only stars who get dealt ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline. It's possible that Kevin Durant could be on the move as well.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported the Suns are "strongly considering Durant deals before the deadline" amid stalled talks for Jimmy Butler.

Mannix added the Golden State Warriors are "serious" about trying to reacquire Durant.

NBA reporter Jake Fischer reported the team was hesitant to make a deal earlier on Monday.

"Phoenix, entering Monday's business, continued to signal that it does not plan to move Durant before the deadline, sources said, but the Suns are believed to be listening at the very least to various teams' pitches for the 35-year-old scoring legend. Durant, meanwhile, is said to be aware of all this," Fischer wrote.

Fischer added that the Suns "are expected to maintain a very high asking price before they ever agree to part ways with him. We're talking serious draft capital and highly rated young talent. The Suns do have a level of interest in Jonathan Kuminga, sources said."

A Durant trade to the Golden State Warriors would be an internet-breaking moment, much as his signing with the team was back in 2016. But Durant chose to depart Golden State after just three seasons—and two titles—in 2019, making the ill-fated decision to join Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets. Irving would eventually be traded to the Dallas Mavericks, while Durant was ultimately dealt to the Suns.

A Durant reunion would make sense for the Dubs. The Warriors desperately need a second star to pair with Stephen Curry as they look to keep pace in a loaded Western Conference, especially after the San Antonio Spurs just improved dramatically by acquiring Fox. And Durant has plenty of familiarity with Curry, Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr, so the adjustment would be minimal.

The Warriors are also poking around the trade market, though nothing substantial has come to fruition just yet.

But as ESPN's Shams Charania reported during Monday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the Dubs are hoping to reel in a big fish.

"The Warriors are legitimately calling about every All-Star player," he said. "You just name the All-Star player, the Warriors have probably called on them. Paul George, they probably called, they have called. They made calls on every star. And that, of course, includes players like LeBron, players like Kevin Durant, players like Jimmy Butler. They are making calls. They are dead set on trying to find another star player, superstar player, with Stephen Curry. That is another subplot to this trade deadline as well."

Durant, 36, remains one of the game's most complete three-level scorers. He's averaging 26.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 blocks per game this season while shooting 40.5 percent from three. Injuries remain something of a concern—he's missed 10 games this season—but when healthy, he's an instant dose of offense.

He's also on the same career timeline as Curry (36) at this point. If the goal in Golden State is to maximize whatever years Curry has left, sacrificing a player like Kuminga to obtain Durant or another older All-Star—while hardly the most ideal scenario—would ultimately be justifiable.

The Suns could seek a trade to further bolster the Durant and Devin Booker pairing for this season and beyond, but it seems the squad will at least consider moving in a diferrent direction.

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