Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler Mega-Trade Could Involve Five Teams and a Dozen Players – Sports Illustrated

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday afternoon and in the wake of the Luka Doncic trade all bets are off. Suddenly teams are calling about players that were previously thought untouchable because, hey, stranger things literally just happened. One of the big names who has been actively trying to get moved for months now is Jimmy Butler. His preferred destination has always been the Phoenix Suns, but Bradley Beal’s no-trade clause has stood in the way. Now in a real Monkey’s Paw-esque twist, Butler may be able to get to Phoenix, but it could cost the Suns Kevin Durant who is suddenly a major trade target for multiple teams. Here’s Brian Windhorst this morning on Get Up discussing the possibility of Durant potentially going to the Warriors, which would clear the way for Butler to go to Phoenix. .@Windhorstespn weighs in on the possibility of Kevin Durant returning to play with Steph Curry and the Warriors ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/UzfMlszg9p”And so now we have the Warriors and Suns discussing the possibility of bringing Kevin Durant back,” said Windhorst. “Ok? I am not going to sit here and even begin to project or guess as to how this may go down. Is it possible that Kevin Durant could be traded to the Warriors? Yes. Will it happen? I’m not afraid to say I don’t know.””This is potentially a three, four, five team transaction,” Windhorst continued. ” It could involve like a dozen other players. ‘Cuz that’s the nature of the way NBA trades. It could involve Jimmy Butler because it is possible guys, that the Suns could acquire Jimmy Butler, but not for Brad Beal, but for Kevin Durant. So after a month of trying to pair them together, in an elaborate way being traded for each other.”If some sort of mega-trade like this did take place, it could be the biggest in NBA history. Right now the record is a five-team, 13-player deal that most notably involved Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, James Posey, Eddie Jones and Greg Ostertag back in 2005. So yeah, let’s get crazy and maybe see some history.feedStephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.Follow Stephen_Douglas© 2025 ABG-SI LLC. – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators’ opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

Source: https://www.si.com/nba/kevin-durant-jimmy-butler-mega-trade-five-teams-dozen-players