It’s as if we are back in 2016. We still remember that week. Durant was meeting the Oklahoma City Thunder before flying off to New York to meet five other teams. The Golden State Warriors, the LA Clippers, the San Antonio Spurs: all of them were viable candidates. Cut to nine years later, and Kevin Durant is once again the hot name on the NBA’s offseason market. After another disappointing season for the Suns, it looks inevitable for the Slim Reaper to find his new home. Durant might be 36, but he is still looked at as a component who could elevate a team into contending talks. And according to Brian Windhorst, the saga will be settled very soon.

There’s a lot of change forthcoming for the franchise. Aside from a decision over Durant’s future, they are also officially presenting Jordan Ott as the new head coach. Likewise, he has to plan for a team that will likely be without KD. Hence, Windy thinks the news about a Durant trade is going to arrive sooner rather than later.

“I do believe Kevin Durant will be traded in the coming weeks. The Suns are naming their new head coach, Jordan Ott. He’s at an introductory press conference. They’ve been going through that process, and I expect them to look into the Durant uh trade market pretty soon,” said the revered analyst.

However, when it comes to finalizing just where Kevin Durant could go, the options are wide open. The Spurs are reportedly interested, and several teams in the East have their eyes wide open, too. Spurs look like a real candidate, especially since Durant played college basketball there. The twist in this tale, though, is that it’s still unknown whether the Slim Reaper controls his fate. Unlike Bradly Beal, he doesn’t have a no-trade clause. Hence, Windhorst thinks there are two things that can have an influence.

“The key with Durant is this. He has one year left on his contract. Is he going to want to sign an extension? And is he going to want to be a part of the process of the trade? And are the Suns going to let him be involved in the process? That’s a key factor going forward,” he said on Get Up.

If the franchise respects Durant’s wishes, he’s going to want a team that is willing to offer him an extension. Moreover, he would also likely prefer them to be a competitive team. But the Suns could also send him as a one-year rental, in which case Brian Windhorst shared Durant “may not want to go there.”

When Durant was asked about it back in February, this is what he said about possibly being traded. “You got to ask the [Suns] front office about that. I mean, I never planned on leaving, getting traded, I didn’t ask for a trade from Phoenix. But obviously, when you pay so much for a team and we’re not playing up to our expectation, somebody has to go.”

So, although the NBA community is thirsty for answers about this saga, it could be a longer-than-expected route before Durant finalizes his team. The only strong indicator, according to Windhorst, though, is the power scales of the two conferences.

The East is about to become a war zone

According to some inside scoop from someone close to Kevin Durant, his mind was fixated. He wants the San Antonio Spurs, a young team with an extremely high ceiling, given they also hold the second pick in the upcoming draft. However, there is also a problem with the West. The Spurs might develop to become a powerhouse. But KD doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for years.

He wants to compete now. And according to Brian Windhorst, Jayson Tatum’s injury might tempt not only Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay, but also Durant’s decision on where he might want to go.

“I mean, that’s probably playing into the Giannis decision. Giannis is looking around at the East saying, you know, I’ve got a team in Milwaukee here that might be able to do some things. So, definitely if I’m Kevin Durant, I’m looking East,” he suspects.

There’s good reason to believe a move such as this could be on. According to multiple reports, the New York Knicks are interested in trading for the two-time champion. But there’s a catch in doing business with Phoenix. With them being over the second apron, the Suns can’t take back more than Durant’s $54.7 million for next season.

So for a thin team like the Knicks, a direct trade would make them leaner than before. Unless there are multiple teams that are part of the trade, it is financially expensive for any team to pursue Durant. His demand is still going to be high. But because of the Suns’ situation, there might only be a few teams that can make a trade for him feasible.