“Durant’s list of preferred trade destinations contains three teams,” Stein wrote. “Yet it almost had four. The Stein Line has learned that the Knicks also would have featured on that list but were ultimately omitted when New York made it clear that it has decided against pursuing a trade for the NBA’s No. 8 all-time leading scorer.”

Earlier this weekend, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst confirmed that the Toronto Raptors —having missed the playoffs—are emerging as potential Durant suitors. Toronto joins a growing list of teams willing to pursue the superstar, signaling their readiness to swing for a transformative move.

In trade talks for Kevin Durant, the Suns have recently shown interest in young Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., The Athletic’s Kelly Iko reports.