Kevin Durant will be 37 years old at the start of next season, yet he remains the face of the NBA trade market after averaging 26.6 points on a Phoenix Suns team that missed the playoffs this season. The Memphis Grizzlies have flirted with the idea of trading for Durant on multiple occasions in the past, but seem to be past that at this stage of the roster building.
Trading Desmond Bane took over the headlines for the Memphis Grizzlies over the last few days for multiple reasons. One was the package they received that included four first-round draft picks for a player who hasn't made an All-Star team. Another was questioning whether the package they received meant they were rebuilding the team or retooling around Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
The smoke around a potential rebuild was quickly shut down as the team looks to utilize its newfound assets to surround their star duo. After a standoff between Ja Morant and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith about his availability on June 17th, another standoff between media members occurred about the Grizzlies' interest in Kevin Durant on June 18.
The Grizzlies are out on Kevin Durant
Ja Morant mentioned in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday about Memphis being talked about more than the NBA Finals in reference to Stephen A. Smith's comments about his trade prospects and the city's perception from other players around the league, including Jimmy Butler. Memphis continued to be in the news today when Forbes NBA Contributor Evan Sidery mentioned they entered the Kevin Durant sweepstakes again.
Recently, ESPN's Bob Meyers name dropped the Grizzlies as a team that Durant said no to coming to when they supposedly inquired about him at the NBA trade deadline. Before Durant was traded to the Suns in 2023, the Grizzlies inquired about him after he requested a trade from the Nets in June 2022.
Per sources: The Grizzlies are not interested in trading for Kevin Durant. They contemplated an offer at the trade deadline, but they haven’t and don’t intend to engage on a trade for Durant this offseason. https://t.co/yWLvMxS3ly
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) June 18, 2025
However, this time around the Grizzlies' beat reporter for Memphis' Commercial Appeal, Damichael Cole, chimed in that the team is not interested in trading for Durant. He also confirmed the team contemplated an offer at the trade deadline this season for his services.
While all signs point to the Grizzlies not looking to obtain Kevin Durant, the likelihood of a third and/or fourth team to complete a trade to any destination seems to be intriguing. The team may be out on acquiring the two-time champion, but entering the conversation to acquire another player through a multi-team trade is an avenue the team could be exploring for a roster upgrade.