Kevin Durant Trade Suitors Revealed: Are Detroit Pistons in the Mix?

Soon, the NBA will see what’s next for Kevin Durant. As the former MVP’s time with the Phoenix Suns is expected to come to an end, the trade market for the notable veteran superstar is forming.

Lately, some analysts have kicked around the idea of the Pistons potentially making a run at Durant. With a list of suitors revealed, are the Pistons in the mix for Durant?

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Pistons are not a team worth mentioning in that club right now. The teams that have “expressed interest” are the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the New York Knicks.

Charania added that “several wild-card suitors” have inquired over the past week or so, but those organizations were not revealed.

Could the Pistons be Wild Cards in the Kevin Durant Trade Market?

Simply making an inquiry should be seen as standard practice in NBA deal-making. If Trajan Langdon reached out to the Suns to see what it would take to land Durant, then he’s simply doing due diligence like any logical President of Basketball Ops would do.

The chances of the Pistons being willing to make a deal for Durant are slim. First, it would cost several players to match salaries. Durant’s contract is worth nearly $55 million this year. Since he’s in the final year of his deal, he’s either a rental or a hefty multi-year investment at age 37 when the next season starts.

Durant doesn’t match Detroit’s timeline. While the Pistons are way more competitive than they were before, they don’t seem to be a Durant addition away from winning the NBA Finals. Trajan Langdon’s public comments typically lean toward the Pistons remaining patient and banking on the development of their homegrown players. A Durant deal would surely go against that blueprint.

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