Rumored trade target officially available but quiet truth must give Spurs pause

This subject has been a controversial one since the whispers first got out that the Spurs may have some interest in Kevin Durant. That controversy only intensified when Durant reportedly placed San Antonio on the list of teams he'd be willing to play for. This is the Slim Reaper. One of the greatest scoring talents in NBA history, and if he wants to play for your franchise, you should want him, right?

Wrong. Durantula is 36 years old and he'll hit 37 before the start of next season. When you look at his numbers, he's still an efficient bucket-getter but there's more to basketball than putting the ball in the basket—like being on the court. The Silver and Black were fortunate to have Chris Paul play all 82 games, but it was celebrated for a reason. It's not common for older players to stay healthy.

Everyone has been talking about the price Phoenix would demand for KD's services and whether it's too steep or not and that's a fine talking point. However, there's another reason San Antonio should steer clear of a potential trade for #35 that nobody is talking about. Now that the Suns have made the legendary hooper available, we need to.

Kevin Durant has become injury-prone

I'm just going to come out and say what nobody else seems to want to say about one of the greatest players of our time. It's not disrespectful because it's the truth, but he's had an issue staying on the floor lately. Durant had a great stretch of health before his Achilles injury in the playoffs of the 2019 season, costing him the entire next year.

In the four seasons before the injury, he played 72, 62, 68, and 78 games. In the years since he's returned, he's played 35, 55, 47, 75, and 62 this season. His healthiest season in five years came two seasons ago, and while he did play more than 60 games this year, he missed the last seven games, ending the 2024-25 campaign on the injury report when his team still had a chance at a play-in spot.

That's what really needs to be taken into consideration when examining any potential deal for Easy Money Sniper. If we were to ignore reality, we could simply imagine a world where Victor Wembanyama, Kevin Durant, and De'Aaron Fox shared the floor. They would be the deadliest offensive trio in the league. It's enticing.

There are other talents out there for the Spurs to add who can help elevate their ceiling as a team who aren't older injury-prone players. As respected a player as KD is, he hasn't been as fortunate as LeBron James in the battle against Father Time. There's no shame in that. But that respect also doesn't mean San Antonio should cough up picks and players for such uncertainty.