The 2025 NBA trade season was certainly one for the history books, as it saw a record of 63 players moved and a number of jaw-dropping blockbuster exchanges made. And while some may have been underwhelmed by the lack of activity from the OKC Thunder, the fallout of Thursday's deadline could actually lead them to a monster offseason move.
While the bulk of attention from trade season has been geared toward the blockbusters that were executed such as the Lakers' acquisition of Luka Doncic and Golden State's trade for Jimmy Butler, lost in the shadows is the odd reports that the Phoenix Suns were engaged in preliminary trade talks involving superstar Kevin Durant without his approval or knowledge.
According to internal sources and NBA insiders such as Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, during the final days of trade season there was a "rising belief" around the league that the Suns were considering the idea of parting ways with their franchise cornerstone.
While such a move never took place, the fact that Phoenix held such talks has reportedly "blindsided" Durant which is now creating speculation among those in the know like ESPN's Brian Windhorst that the impact of all this could be Durant "breaking up with the Suns in the summer."
This is where the Thunder could wind up coming into play.
OKC Thunder should consider reuniting with Kevin Durant this summer
It's no secret that the relationship between Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder ended tumultuously. Back in the summer of 2016, the all-world forward bolted in free agency for the Golden State Warriors, a team that had just eliminated OKC via a 1-3 series comeback during the Western Conference Finals.
Since his departure, the 15-time All-Star's reputation has plummeted dramatically, with many poking fun at the narrative that he's yet to prove himself capable of winning without the likes of Stephen Curry.
Since leaving the Warriors back in 2019, Durant has continuously tried to disprove such a notion with stints in both Brooklyn and, now, Phoenix, albeit to no avail.
Even if he does somehow manage to win a ring with the Suns (something that currently seems incredibly unlikely), his doing so will always be stained by the idea that he had to assemble a superteam that surrounded him with perennial All-Stars in the prime (Devin Booker and Bradley Beal) to accomplish such a goal.
Frankly, perhaps the only other situation from NBA history that is like Durant's fall from prodigal son to league-wide villain is LeBron James' decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2010 to join the Miami Heat.
Even after claiming his first two titles down in South Beach, for years, James was regularly talked about as a player who never was able to win without the help of Dwayne Wade or the support of a superteam surrounding him.
Like Durant, this distinction severely impacted the superstar's status among fans and, in many ways, affected his all-time status as a player.
That is, of course, until he returned to where his career began with the Cavaliers back in 2014 and, come year two of his second stint, guided the franchise to their first-ever NBA Championship.
Perhaps Durant may be interested in following LeBron's blueprint by coming back to Oklahoma City?
Now, while such an idea may seem like a wild pipe dream right now, when fully assessing this hypothetical it's not as farfetched as one may believe, especially if the Thunder fail to win it all this season.
OKC is viewed by many as a frontrunner to win the NBA Finals this year. However, considering the fact that they're still incredibly young as a collective (their core rotation holds an average age of just 24.4) and have very little playoff experience outside of last year's run, this team running the gamut to ultimate glory is far from a guarantee.
Should they fall short of their ultimate goal for the second straight year, it may be wise for Sam Presti and company to look into acquiring both talent upgrades and players with ample postseason experience to help finally thrust the team over the hump.
Kevin Durant is someone who could address both desires all on his own.
Still a superstar talent in this league, the 36-year-old finds himself dropping phenomenal per-game averages of 26.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks this year while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from distance.
On top of the previously mentioned attributes he'd bring, Durant's return to the Thunder would provide them with a much-needed offensive initiator outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and it would simultaneously create the most ferocious core in the game with these two running alongside Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren (assuming both would be kept in a potential deal with the Suns).
Unfortunately, to make such a massive move possible, along with a plethora of draft picks Oklahoma City would likely also have to part ways with beloved players like Isaiah Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort (among others) simply to make room for the star's $54.7 million salary for next year.
Though parting ways with such players would severely sting from an emotional standpoint, objectively speaking, for a player like Kevin Durant it should be a no-brainer.
As suggested by how the NBA trade deadline unfolded, it's more than apparent that KD's not simply looking to head to a good team if he's traded. According to reports, he shut down a trade that would have shipped him to the Miami Heat and refused to be sent back to Golden State in another proposed transaction.
Because of this, there's a strong possibility that Durant is looking for the exact right fit for him as a player and, quite possibly, as a person.
Returning to the Thunder could present the superstar with not only an opportunity to add another championship ring to his collection but, also, to give the final chapter of his playing career a storybook ending that fans both near and far would go crazy over.
If LeBron James could do it with the Cavaliers, why can't Kevin Durant with OKC?