Minnesota not pursuing Anthony Edwards’ idol Kevin Durant unless he shows interest

Kevin Durant will turn 37 years old soon, but he’s still one of the best players in the league. As such, it only makes sense that we see his name being tied to multiple teams.

Nevertheless, as much as most teams would gladly take Durant’s contract, they also need some insurance. According to Sam Amick, the Minnesota Timberwolves won’t make a serious pursuit of him unless he gives them an indication of a desire to sign a new contract with the organization.

“Minnesota is not gonna play ball until they get signal Kevin wants to play there,” Amick said.

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Anthony Edwards grew up idolizing Durant, and he could be the missing piece they need to move on from the Western Conference finals to the NBA Finals. The team doesn't seem to be interested in a one-year rental, and they want a long-term commitment from the future Hall of Famer.

The Phoenix Suns are in a tough spot with Durant. Per Suns beat writer Duane Rankin, the team might be forced to lower their asking price because they have no true leverage in this situation.

"The Suns have 'no leverage' in part because of Durant's age and because he wants to start fresh elsewhere, league sources say," Rankin wrote. "The idea of Durant returning to a team that entertained deals for him before the 2025 trade deadline isn’t a pleasant one."

Reggie Miller says everybody knows Suns will be desperate to trade Kevin Durant

The Suns almost traded Durant to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline. The cat's out of the bag, and Durant knows he's the odd man out in the desert because of Bradley Beal's no-trade clause.

With that in mind, NBA legend Reggie Miller said the Suns won't be able to land equal value in return for his services because all teams in the league know that they want to trade him and, more importantly, that he may want to leave.

“I think everyone is going to be stingy that way because they know they’re desperate,” Miller said during a TNT Zoom media session. “If Kevin Durant doesn’t want to be anywhere, Kevin Durant is going to change area codes and zip codes.”

Durant hasn't been back to the NBA Finals since he left the Warriors, but he's still an elite three-level scorer with insane efficiency numbers, so it will be interesting to see what the Suns can get in return for him.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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