Kevin Durant trade coming in next few days with three contenders making big push

A Kevin Durant trade appears imminent. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Friday on “The Pat McAfee Show” that the Suns superstar could be traded “in the next few days” with the Rockets, Heat and Timberwolves at the forefront of the negotiations.“There is some serious traction on conversations, on trade scenarios with the Suns,” Charania said, noting that between six and eight teams have reached out to Phoenix, but that the front office has keyed in on conversations with those three contenders in the past day or two.Charania initially reported that the Knicks were in the mix for Durant, but The Post’s Stefan Bondy reported they were not a suitor. On Thursday, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported there is an “increasingly strong belief” Durant will be moved before the NBA Draft on June 25. Durant is in the final year of his four-year, $166 million deal, which potential trade partners must take into account before pulling the trigger on a deal. An extension for Durant is one of the crucial questions remaining in talks.And the teams that are considering trading for Durant must consider whether they would be willing to sign the 36-year-old to an expensive extension, or if they’d be content to have Durant as a one-year rental.Charania likened that potential situation to the Raptors’ 2018 trade for Kawhi Leonard, who delivered Toronto a title in his one season with the team before signing with the Clippers in free agency.Durant is in the latter stages of his career, but he has remained a dominant scorer. The 15-time All-Star averaged 26.6 points in 62 games with the Suns last season, although the team went 36-46 and missed the playoffs. Durant would likely have a crack at a third NBA title with either Houston, Minnesota or Miami — although the Heat aren’t as well-positioned to make a deep playoff run as the Rockets and Timberwolves are. In Houston, Durant would slot in alongside an exciting upstart team with young stars like Alperen Sengun and ...