Ahead of last month’s NBA Trade Deadline, the Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly swung for the fences and pursued Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant. Ultimately, nothing came to fruition and Durant remained in Phoenix. However, as the regular season approaches its end, most expect the Suns to revisit Durant trade talks and eventually move the future Hall of Famer. As it stands, the Timberwolves will most likely get in on the Durant sweepstakes. However, according to recent reports, there is one specific player the Timberwolves may not want to trade (even for the two-time NBA Finals MVP), and that is Jaden McDaniels.
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Timberwolves were “unwilling” to include McDaniels or Anthony Edwards in discussions for Durant. Instead, the Timberwolves included Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, who they acquired from the New York Knicks last offseason.
“The Timberwolves aggressively pursued Durant in trade talks before the deadline and are expected to circle the wagon again this summer, but were unwilling to part with 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 trade talks for Durant, league sources told HoopsHype.”
Minnesota Timberwolves ‘Unwilling’ to Move Jaden McDaniels in Major Trade Talks
Phoenix Suns Are Interested in Minnesota Timberwolves Award Winner
According to Scotto, the Suns have interest in an impending Timberwolves free agent, Naz Reid. Reid is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year award winner and plays an important role in Minnesota. Furthermore, while the Suns reportedly expressed interest in Reid, the Timberwolves do not have interest in moving on from him. As Scotto reported, they instead hope to re-sign the big man when he hits free agency in the offseason.
“It’s also worth noting that reigning Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid drew interest from the Suns as part of the Durant trade talks, league sources told HoopsHype. Reid is expected to decline his $15 million player option for the 2025-26 season and enter unrestricted free agency this summer. Nonetheless, Minnesota hopes to re-sign Reid to a long-term contract, league sources told HoopsHype.”
The Last Word
As it stands, it seems like a Durant trade this offseason is inevitable. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the expectation is that the Suns trade Durant this summer.
“Yeah, [Durant]’s probably going to get traded this summer. He knows it, the Suns know it, the rest of the league know[s] it, they’re going to enjoy him while they have him. It’s not really controversial in all honesty… you have an extremely expensive team that is not winning, and the player that is their most expensive player, who is playing great but not impacting them on a positive level, you do not need a high-level analyst to tell you that they probably need to trade him, which is why they were exploring the trade market for him…I would expect this summer for Durant and the Suns to work together to find a new home.”
Adding Durant to the roster could be big for the Timberwolves. They are already a playoff contender and are looking to bring a title to Minnesota. Durant remains one of the top players in the NBA and has championship experience. This summer, Durant’s status will be worth monitoring. A trade seems like a guarantee. Whether he ends up in Minnesota, however, is not. Either way, Timberwolves fans will want to keep an eye on the situation.
© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
