ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves were both interested in Kevin Durant on June 11, although the Phoenix Suns ultimately agreed to trade the star forward to the Houston Rockets.

New York had a few plausible paths to pursuing Durant, but all featured some significant hiccup. They could have built a deal around Karl-Anthony Towns, which would have been fairly workable from a cap perspective. However, Suns insider John Gambadoro reported that Phoenix was not interested in a Towns-centric trade.

As Kevin Durant initially had the New York Knicks as a team of interest, the list has dwindled to three teams as his preferred destinations, which doesn't include the franchise. While it was later revealed that the Knicks don't have interest in Durant, the notion was reinforced by NBA insider Marc Spears.