3 most likely Kevin Durant travel destinations after Sun’s match with DeAndre Ayton

The Phoenix Suns matched DeAndre Ayton’s offer sheet “as soon as they received it,” according to Adrian Wojnarowski. What this means for Kevin Durant and beyond:

The Suns voted Ayton’s $133 million four-year offer sheet, according to reports. The Pacers attempted to sign Ayton in restricted free agency, but Phoenix retain their rights and will be unable to trade him for some time.

Ayton reserves the right to refuse any trade it is involved in for at least a full year. As a result, even if Ayton agrees to a move, the Suns won’t be able to treat him until January take them out the Kevin Durant chase as a whole.

After Ayton signed an offer sheet, he essentially ruined Phoenix’s chances of trading for KD. The Suns don’t own another asset as attractive as 23-year-old Big.

With Phoenix out of the picture, which teams are the favorites to sign Durant?

Kevin Durant shares rumours: Miami Heat

The heat long time potential applicants for Durant. In fact, the moment KD asked to be traded, he mentioned the suns and the heat as two of his favorite targets.

With Phoenix now out of the picture, perhaps Miami can benefit. The Heat would have to trade any number of assets for Durant. A package could revolve around Jimmy Butler and draft picks. But if Brooklyn preferred to rebuild with young talent, a Bam Adebayo and/or Tyler Herro-centric trade pack would suffice as well.

Kevin Durant Trade Rumors: Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are an intriguing match, and recent rumors suggest Durant would love to play there. Toronto is a mediocre playoff team right now, but pairing Durant with the likes of Pascal Siakam and Fred Van Vleet (assuming neither of them are traded) makes them a tough opponent in the East.

The current backlog of discussions is that Toronto doesn’t want to include Scottie Barnes in a potential trade. This caps the number of assets the Raptors have for Durant in each trade.

Kevin Durant trades rumours: Golden State Warriors

The Warriors could put together the best trade package for Durant. However, the question remains whether both sides would welcome a reunion. Durant watched the Dubs win a title without him just last season. A return would make it seem (to some) that KD couldn’t win outside of the Bay Area.

As for the Warriors, they’re doing a good job of building from the inside. While the addition of Durant would undoubtedly make them favorites to win the title next year, they would have to trade most of their young core to achieve that.