Kevin Durant very nearly ended up with a different contender in the Western Conference.
The former NBA MVP Durant vetoed a trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves last summer, Darren Wolfson of KSTP in Minnesota reported Tuesday during an appearance on the “Flagrant Howls” podcast. Wolfson notes that Durant had some reservations about playing for Minnesota head coach Chris Finch, factoring into his veto decision.
Durant ended up getting traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets later that summer instead. Now this season, Durant is averaging 26.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the 31-17 Rockets.
That said, the Wolves are not far behind Houston in the standings at 31-20. They are also probably thanking their lucky stars that they did not end up getting Durant, especially given the recent occurrences in the trade market.
Earlier in the day on Tuesday, the Timberwolves traded away veteran guard Mike Conley Jr. as part of a three-team salary dump move. That has many fans speculating that Minnesota could now potentially land Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade.
Notably, Durant was the childhood hero of Wolves star Anthony Edwards, and the two even had a memorable viral moment together a couple of years ago during the playoffs. But instead of teaming up with Durant in Minnesota, Edwards has a very real chance of teaming up with Antetokounmpo (who is six years younger than KD) instead.