Report: Kevin Durant sitting out Suns game on eve of trade deadline with injury

Has Kevin Durant played his final game with the Phoenix Suns?

The future Hall of Famer will not be in the lineup for the Phoenix Suns against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday due to ankle soreness, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes.

Meanwhile, Durant’s name has been popping up in trade rumours ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. As the Suns sit ninth in the West with a 25-24 record, seemingly everything is on the table ahead of the deadline, including moving Durant now, as the idea of adding Jimmy Butler grows increasingly difficult given Bradley Beal’s reluctance to waive his no-trade clause. As the team with the highest payroll in the NBA and largest tax bill, and with little to show for it, tough decisions will have to be made.

A recent report from Sam Amick, David Aldridge and Anthony Slater of The Athletic indicated the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks are considering acquiring Durant either this week or in the summer.

While a Bay Area reunion with Stephen Curry would be intriguing — the pair won back-to-back titles and made three consecutive Finals together — that does not seem to of interest to Durant. According to an initial report from NBA insider Marc Stein, “there’s a distinct sense” that the 15-time All-Star does not want to be traded at all and has “serious reservations” about a second stint in Golden State.

Phoenix area radio host John Gambadoro punctuated that point by reporting that all momentum on a deal between Phoenix and Golden State was gone.

Durant’s final season with the Warriors was not only capped off with an Achilles injury that occurred in Game 5 of the Finals against Toronto and cost him all of the following year, but also included contention that stemmed from a viral in-game confrontation with ex-teammate Draymond Green. Stein added in his report that part of Durant’s decision to leave Golden State went back to that moment and no longer wanting to play with the Warriors’ forward.

That seemingly rules out one major suitor for the 11-time All-NBAer, but it does not rule out a trade happening entirely. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Heat have a legitimate interest in acquiring Durant. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on NBA Today added that Heat president Pat Riley has wanted the two-time Finals MVP in the past and predicted that the two likeliest outcomes for Durant post-deadline are either joining Miami or staying in Phoenix.

Durant remains an impact scorer even at age 36. In 39 games this season, he is averaging 26.9 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting just below 40 per cent from three.

More from Sportsnet

Raptors in wait-and-see mode as trade deadline approaches

How does blockbuster NBA weekend impact Raptors’ trade chips at deadline?