Latest news with #Suns
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA rumors: Suns take intriguing Jalen Green step amid Kevin Durant trade talks
The post NBA rumors: Suns take intriguing Jalen Green step amid Kevin Durant trade talks appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Phoenix Suns are trying to find the best trade for Kevin Durant as the offseason continues, and they may have a lot of options to choose from. The Houston Rockets are one of those teams that are interested in Durant, and lucky enough, they were on his list as preferred destinations. Advertisement The Rockets have some intriguing assets they could give up for Durant, and Jalen Green is the one player that could be moved, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. 'In a potential trade with the Suns for Durant, Houston could include guard Jalen Green and his $33.33 million salary for the 2025-26 season,' Scotto wrote. 'With guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal already on the roster, having failed to trade Beal as the Suns attempted to before the trade deadline, Phoenix has done background on Green to gauge his value around the league in case Green is acquired, and it's worthwhile to flip him again via trade, league sources told HoopsHype.' Green has a lot of upside, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he were flipped to another team if the Rockets and Suns agreed to a trade. Outside of Green, the Rockets have more young players they could package in a deal for Durant. Do the Rockets have the best chance at a Kevin Durant trade? The Rockets seem to be adamant on taking the next step as a team, and after having a strong regular season but losing in the first round of the playoffs, they may think they're one piece away from being real contenders. Insert Durant, who has the experience, plus the skill to help the Rockets get over the hump, despite his age. Advertisement Durant also listed the Rockets as one of his preferred trade destinations, so it's obvious that he sees something special about them. With a group of talented players, the Rockets could be one of the better teams in the Western Conference once again, and this time, make a deep playoff run. It will be interesting to see what a potential trade package could look like for Durant, but there's no doubt that the Rockets have what it takes to make the deal enticing. Related: RUMOR: Kristaps Porzingis linked to Suns as Celtics explore trade options Related: NBA rumors: Heat, Bulls again linked to Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Timberwolves rumors: Minnesota's stance amid Kevin Durant's disinterest
The post Timberwolves rumors: Minnesota's stance amid Kevin Durant's disinterest appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Minnesota Timberwolves' stance on a potential Kevin Durant trade has been revealed. The Timberwolves are coming off another successful season that saw them make a second straight Western Conference Finals. Anthony Edwards is improving each passing year and has consistently elevated his play when his team needed it most. As the 23-year-old continues to develop, the front office is trying to surround him with the best supporting cast available while not doing anything drastic. Advertisement The Western Conference will be an absolute gauntlet next year, and the Timberwolves will need to make some upgrades or certain players on the roster improve to make it back to the Conference Finals. One of the trades that has been floated over the past few weeks is Durant to Minnesota. However, the recent reports have been discouraging. The Athletic's Sam Amick and Jon Krawczynski provided clarity on how the Timberwolves and Suns feel about a potential Durant blockbuster. 'The Suns have made it clear to Durant's camp that they need to prioritize the best return for the team in a deal. What's more, they appear focused on landing the kind of impact players who can help now, as opposed to prioritizing draft picks. The Wolves would seem to have options available to offer, with Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle headlining a package that could give the Suns hopes of contending. With the offers from the Spurs, Rockets, and Heat coming up short to this point, league sources say the Suns are still hopeful that Durant might warm to the Timberwolves possibility. The Timberwolves do not want to make a seismic change to a roster that advanced to the Western Conference finals if Durant is not on board with the move, team sources said. The question now is whether there's any chance of Durant coming around to the idea.' The Timberwolves will need to make a decision on Randle soon. There's a decent chance three-time All-Star opts out of his player option in pursuit of a long-term deal. Randle had a slightly uneven regular season but really hit his stride toward the end. The 30-year-old was mostly terrific this postseason run. Gobert has two more years on his current deal before he's up for a player option as well. Advertisement While the four-time Defensive Player of the Year can be a maddening center to watch at times, he is still a very valuable contributor on this roster and has played a significant role in this franchise's ascent. Trading for Durant is ultimately a move the Timberwolves would need to be sure about, since he is set to be a free agent after next season. It's ultimately not worth it for Minnesota to take a Toronto Raptors-Kawhi Leonard type gamble if that significantly mortgages the future. Related: Timberwolves rumors: Kevin Durant has 'no desire' to play for Minnesota Related: Anthony Edwards, Adidas are releasing new football cleats
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA rumors: Suns hit with ‘no leverage' reality in Kevin Durant trade talks
The post NBA rumors: Suns hit with 'no leverage' reality in Kevin Durant trade talks appeared first on ClutchPoints. The 2025 NBA Finals is nearing its conclusion, and in essence, so is the 2024-25 NBA season, but talks about the possible trade destination of Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant are already taking up so much space in the headlines. The future Basketball Hall of Famer has been linked to a number of teams, but so far, nothing serious has truly come out of it, as Durant remains in Phoenix's fold. Advertisement What there is little to deny is the intent of the Suns to move the former NBA Most Valuable Player somewhere else. They tried to accomplish that before the 2025 NBA trade deadline last February, but ultimately kept him for the rest of the campaign. With the Suns failing to make the NBA Playoffs, their attention has shifted largely to restarting trade talks involving Durant, who have a short list of preferred landing spots. Phoenix will want a big return for the all-time great, but they may not have that much power on the negotiation table to demand such, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Wrote Rankin: 'The Suns have 'no leverage' in part because of Durant's age and because he wants to start fresh elsewhere, league sources say. The idea of Kevin Durant returning to a team that entertained deals for him before the 2025 trade deadline isn't a pleasant one.' Durant's list includes the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat. The Spurs are rumored to be the 'specific team' that the 15-time NBA All-Star would want to get traded to, but San Antonio hasn't come up with a package enough for Phoenix to pull the trigger. The former Texas Longhorns star, who will turn 37 years old in September, has a year left on the four-year $194.22 million contract extension he signed with the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, before Phoenix acquired him in 2023 via a blockbuster four-team trade that involved the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks. Advertisement Durant is set to earn $54.7 million in the final year of his current deal, which will be for the 2025-26 season. But wherever Durant lands, that team will have an aging but still very much dangerous offensive weapon that averaged at least 26.0 points per game in the last nine seasons (excluding 2019-20). Related: Spurs rumors: Ex-San Antonio VP reveals major hold up in Kevin Durant trade Related: NBA rumors: Shams claims Heat, Rockets 'a piece or 2 away' from Kevin Durant trade
Sky News AU
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Sky News AU
AFL: Gold Coast Suns intent on keeping Sam Flanders
Suns coach Damien Hardwick has suggested rival clubs shouldn't waste their time trying to lure midfielder Sam Flanders away from the Gold Coast. Flanders, 23, is contracted to the Suns until the end of the 2027 AFL season; however, reports have emerged that St Kilda and some other Victorian clubs are keen to bring Flanders back to his home state sooner. However, Hardwick has no intention of letting go of the Gippsland product. 'We're not in the business of trading our very best players, so Sam Flanders won't be going anywhere,' the Suns coach said on Friday. 'I've got a real soft spot for Sam. He's one of my favourites. He's been really challenged this year with injury but … we're really positive about his back end of the year. 'He's the solution for us. He's an outstanding player. When he plays at his very best with Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson and Touk Miller … we're a different side.' Flanders isn't the only Suns star being reportedly chased by Victorian clubs, with off-contract on-baller Rowell and forward Ben King also linked with moves south. However, Hardwick said the Suns – who have won eight from 12 this season ahead of their clash on Sunday against the GWS Giants at Engie Stadium – were set to become a club that top players from other teams would want to join in a similar way to fellow Queenslanders and reigning premiers Brisbane. 'We've got to make sure this is the very best environment for players,' the former Richmond three-time premiership-winning coach said, 'We've got opposition clubs speaking to our players and we're speaking to opposition players. 'We want to keep our very good players, (and) we're also happy to take a few as well.' Hardwick's Suns are hoping to avoid a third successive defeat on Sunday after suffering back-to-back loss before their bye last weekend. 'We're really bullish about how far we can go,' he said ahead of the 'next shift' in the Suns' battle to play finals football for the first time. 'We've put to bed the first part of the year. This part of the year is really important. The contenders stand up and the pretenders fall away. That's the challenge from here on in. 'We're really excited about the next block of four games (against the Giants, Melbourne, Essendon and Collingwood) that's going to present an opportunity for us. 'We're firmly zone in on what that looks like. We've got some areas of our game that we really like, but we've certainly got a lot of improvement left in us as well.' Originally published as Gold Coast Suns star Sam Flanders isn't 'going anywhere' despite interest from Victorian clubs
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Sam's our man, says Suns coach
Suns coach Damien Hardwick has suggested rival clubs shouldn't waste their time trying to lure midfielder Sam Flanders away from the Gold Coast. Flanders, 23, is contracted to the Suns until the end of the 2027 AFL season; however, reports have emerged that St Kilda and some other Victorian clubs are keen to bring Flanders back to his home state sooner. However, Hardwick has no intention of letting go of the Gippsland product. 'We're not in the business of trading our very best players, so Sam Flanders won't be going anywhere,' the Suns coach said on Friday. 'I've got a real soft spot for Sam. He's one of my favourites. He's been really challenged this year with injury but … we're really positive about his back end of the year. 'He's the solution for us. He's an outstanding player. When he plays at his very best with Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson and Touk Miller … we're a different side.' Gold Coast midfielder Sam Flanders is among of Suns coach Damien Hardwick's 'favourites'. Gold Coast Suns Credit: News Corp Australia Flanders isn't the only Suns star being reportedly chased by Victorian clubs, with off-contract on-baller Rowell and forward Ben King also linked with moves south. However, Hardwick said the Suns – who have won eight from 12 this season ahead of their clash on Sunday against the GWS Giants at Engie Stadium – were set to become a club that top players from other teams would want to join in a similar way to fellow Queenslanders and reigning premiers Brisbane. 'We've got to make sure this is the very best environment for players,' the former Richmond three-time premiership-winning coach said, 'We've got opposition clubs speaking to our players and we're speaking to opposition players. 'We want to keep our very good players, (and) we're also happy to take a few as well.' Hardwick's Suns are hoping to avoid a third successive defeat on Sunday after suffering back-to-back loss before their bye last weekend. 'We're really bullish about how far we can go,' he said ahead of the 'next shift' in the Suns' battle to play finals football for the first time. 'We've put to bed the first part of the year. This part of the year is really important. The contenders stand up and the pretenders fall away. That's the challenge from here on in. 'We're really excited about the next block of four games (against the Giants, Melbourne, Essendon and Collingwood) that's going to present an opportunity for us. 'We're firmly zone in on what that looks like. We've got some areas of our game that we really like, but we've certainly got a lot of improvement left in us as well.'
