ESPN's Shams Charania reveals teams are 'one or two pieces away' from Texas legend Kevin Durant

The NBA Finals are heading to a Game 7, and the NBA Draft is less than a week away. However, neither of those is the biggest story in the league right now. The spotlight is on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, which kicked off just about a week ago. Durant and the Suns are actively seeking trade partners, and the veteran star is determined to land somewhere he has a legitimate shot at winning.

“The Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant's business partner, Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman, have met multiple times over the past week and are sifting through trade scenarios, sources told ESPN on Wednesday,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.

Speculation has been swirling about potential destinations for Durant, but the frontrunners appear to be the Heat, Rockets, and Timberwolves. A move to Miami could also allow Durant to secure the extension money that Jimmy Butler once pursued.

“So if Miami, then Durant would get the extension money that didn’t go to Butler. If,” South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman wrote.

However, not everyone is convinced Durant will get his preferred destination. According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, the Suns could ultimately disregard his wishes.

“[Kevin Durant] definitely doesn’t want to go to Minnesota. But I think there is some fear from him & Rich Kleiman that—They’re hoping that there’s going to be respect at Kevin’s age to give him what he wants rather than try to trade him like he’s 31 years old,” Spears said.

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On Thursday, Charania provided an update, indicating that several teams are extremely close to meeting Phoenix’s asking price.

“The Suns have a price threshold that they want met in a trade for Kevin Durant and I had one team tell me today it's a game of chicken right now... The Rockets, Heat, and Timberwolves are literally one or two pieces away from getting a deal done,” Charania said.

Durant is in the twilight of his career, and his next stop will likely be his last. It’s no longer a question of if he’ll be traded—but when, and to whom.