The Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly pursued Kevin Durant at the February trade deadline with more intensity than previously believed.
Though ultimately unsuccessful, their efforts reflected a level of interest that went well beyond speculative conversations.
Navigating a trade between two second-apron teams, both operating under the NBA’s most restrictive salary cap conditions, proved nearly impossible at the time.
However, that may change in the upcoming offseason as the contract statuses of key players like Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker come into play.
Brian Windhorst, speaking on Friday’s episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, revealed just how deep those trade discussions ran.
“It became clear to me in talking to the parties involved just how serious the Wolves were about trying to trade for Kevin Durant at the trade deadline,” said Windhorst.
Back in February, Minnesota was underperforming and looking for a spark. Since then, however, the team surged to an 18-5 finish to close out the season and made a deep run to the Western Conference Finals.
This evolution in performance may have shifted the organization’s outlook.
“At the time, the Wolves were not playing their best basketball,” Windhorst continued. “They subsequently finished the season, I think, 18-5 and got to the Western Conference Finals. So I don’t want to make it implied that their mindset is still where it was in February.”
Tim MacMahon, also on the podcast, chimed in to stress the logistical difficulty of pulling off such a blockbuster deal midseason:
“Also, it would have been an extraordinary series of deals to be able to [make the trade],” MacMahon noted.
Windhorst added that despite the prohibitive financial complexity, the Timberwolves were not idle at the deadline:
“Which is why they didn’t do it. But the point is this wasn’t just we’re not doing anything on trade deadline day. They made some sort of progress. Getting it done was impossible. They were two second apron teams. But after these guys opt out, they won’t be a second apron team.”
With potential free agents coming off the books, Minnesota could have the flexibility this summer to explore trade scenarios that were out of reach just months ago.
While Windhorst stopped short of predicting Durant’s arrival in Minnesota, he pointed to Timberwolves President Tim Connelly’s track record of bold moves, most notably the Rudy Gobert acquisition and the surprising trade that swapped Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
“I’m not arguing that Durant is going to end up in Minnesota… If you look at Tim Connelly, he made the big [Rudy] Gobert trade. He made the big trade of KAT for Julius Randle and DiVincenzo.”
Looking ahead, the Timberwolves face pivotal roster decisions.
They’ll try to retain key contributors like Randle, Reid, and Alexander-Walker. Still, the door remains cracked open for another ambitious push at a star like Kevin Durant if the conditions align.
Wolves Were More Serious About Trading For Kevin Durant At Trade Deadline Than Assumed https://t.co/KlOvc8ngdB
— RealGM (@RealGM) May 30, 2025
