It’s Kevin Durant.

That’s the thought in many minds when trade winds circulate regarding one of the better scorers to ever touch a basketball.

Few have put the ball in the bucket with the volume and efficiency at which “KD” has done it. Even at 36 (he’ll be 37 when the 2025-26 campaign tips off), Durant averaged 26.2 points per game last season with elite shooting efficiency.

How do you not trade for that guy if the opportunity presents itself? Especially Minnesota, which is searching for ways to take that next step after reaching the Western Conference Finals in consecutive seasons.

But it’s not that simple, and not just because Durant reportedly isn’t all that interested in playing in Minnesota — the reality is he doesn’t have final say on that, though the Wolves probably wouldn’t want to bring in an already disgruntled player.

But also because this is not prime Kevin Durant.

While he’s still a supreme shooter, he doesn’t put pressure on the rim — Durant took just two shots per game in the restricted area this past season (for reference: Naz Reid averaged 2.8, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Donte DiVincenzo were both at 1.5) — and his defensive impact has waned over the past two seasons.Whether the latter is due to age or Phoenix’s team-wide defensive ineptitude remains to be seen.

It’s quite possible Durant could seamlessly slip into Minnesota’s roster and perfectly handle the defensive assignments given to him on a team where talent on that end of the floor is abundant. And offensively, as Oklahoma City has demonstrated in these playoffs, it sure is beneficial to have someone who can consistently get and bury a contested 16-foot jumper when the going gets tough. Durant is also an excellent floor spacing option.

Does he fit Minnesota’s roster? Yes. For that reason, such an acquisition makes a lot of sense for the Timberwolves. But only if the roster he would come into post-trade still resembles today’s.

Rudy Gobert is a logical salary to go the other way to Phoenix in a Durant trade. He also would fill the Suns’ gaping hole at center. But doesn’t Durant fit best on a Wolves roster that still has Gobert? One with a defensive anchor who s steadied the ship for a few years now in Minnesota and creates a high regular-season floor?

Durant was just part of a team missing a legitimate center option in Phoenix. That didn’t go great. Ideally, he’s entering a situation where he contributes but isn’t overly leaned upon for rebounding and defense.

And Durant would alleviate Minnesota’s spacing concerns. But those largely exist with Gobert in the fold. A Durant-Gobert frontcourt feels like a good complement to one another. Swapping out Gobert for Durant may swing Minnesota’s pendulum too far the other direction.

More versatile, but also far more volatile?

Perhaps you could live with that if you’re Tim Connelly and Co. The regular season could be more complicated in a post-Gobert world, but if you could still chart a course back to the conference finals, Durant could help you break through that ceiling that the current roster with Gobert has hit on multiple occasions.

But if such a trade also features Donte DiVincenzo, the No. 17 pick in this year’s draft and Terrence Shannon Jr., now your wing depth is depleted to the point where re-signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker becomes a must, with no guarantee that it will be feasible to do so. Otherwise you’re staring down a reserve backcourt of Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark behind an aging Mike Conley. That’s an even scarier proposition without the great stabilizer — Gobert — there to cover up holes.

Minnesota’s depth would be strained, as would the cupboard of assets it could use to address any potential weak points on the roster.

Trading for Durant would be a clear championship-level swing. And believing Durant could help them reach such a goal is the only reason the Timberwolves would make such a move. The Wolves clearly believe they’re close.

Would they be closer after such an acquisition?

That depends on the cost.