With the playoffs set to begin in a little over a week, the Oklahoma City Thunder's full, undivided attention will be devoted towards making it deep into the postseason and even winning a championship. At present, they have the best record in the NBA, a deep team with elite defenders and shooters across multiple positions, and they have all the makings of a championship team — with MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way.

The scariest part about the Thunder is that they are set up for sustainable contending success for the years to come; they have a deep treasure chest of draft picks, so they can possibly trade for any superstar player that becomes available. Thus, it is not the end of the world for OKC if they fail to win it all this year, as they can either run it back next year and compete yet again or trade for another superstar to truly take the team to the next level.

To that end, perhaps a reunion with a former star of theirs, Kevin Durant, could work wonders; the Phoenix Suns are expected to be a major selling team this summer, and a Durant trade could be the easiest way for them to replenish their depleted draft-pick cupboard. It's not quite clear how much the Thunder faithful would welcome such a trade considering the controversial manner with which Durant exited in 2016, but one thing's for sure: OKC will be the undisputed title favorite in 2026 if they somehow manage to pull off such a trade.

With that said, this is the trade package that the Thunder will have to give up to the Suns in a potential Durant deal.

Alex Caruso, Nikola Topic, Isaiah Joe, Ousmane Dieng, Kenrich Williams, 2025 OKC first-round pick, 2027 DEN first-round pick (protected 1-5)

Kevin Durant

Matching salaries will be the most difficult part of any hypothetical trade that would bring Kevin Durant back to Oklahoma City. It's unlikely, in the event that the Thunder decide to trade for Durant, that they give up any member of their starting five even though one of those players (presumably Isaiah Hartenstein) will have to come off the bench in this hypothetical world.

Hartenstein's $28.5 million contract for the 2025-26 season will be the easiest starting point for any Durant trade conversation. But Hartenstein patches up one of OKC's biggest weaknesses (rebounding), and he has proven to be the perfect frontcourt partner for the more finesse Chet Holmgren.

Again, Hartenstein seems to be the likeliest player to move out of the starting five (OKC, one would think, will be rolling with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, Durant, and Holmgren in their starting five in this reality), but he has emerged as such a necessary piece that it's not likely for OKC to part ways with him.

Alex Caruso, on the other hand, is a different conversation. Caruso may be an all-world defender, but he's not as indispensable as some may think. He should play a huge role for the Thunder in their upcoming playoff run, but with OKC having other elite perimeter defenders such as Dort and Cason Wallace around, it's not as if Caruso is an untouchable player who won't be available in the event that Durant expresses interest in a reunion.

Caruso is also prone to picking up minor injury knocks; he has missed 26 games this season, and it's not like the Thunder need him that badly to anchor their league-leading defense. And with an average annual salary of around $20.3 million for the next four seasons, the 31-year-old is likely to give way in the event that OKC pursues a Durant trade.

The tricky part now is adding just the right amount of pieces to make a trade worthwhile for the Suns. To that end, the Thunder will be adding their 2024 first-round pick, Nikola Topic. Topic hasn't played all year after suffering a torn ACL, but he has drawn rave reviews for his ability to get to the hoop and dish the rock. He could be the ideal backcourt partner for Devin Booker, but in OKC, Gilgeous-Alexander will always have the controls, and Topic isn't exactly adept at spacing the floor, making it unlikely for him to break through in a big role next season.

Isaiah Joe might be the most difficult inclusion in this trade; every contending team needs a shooter of Joe's caliber, and he is an X-factor who can change games in the Thunder's favor when he runs hot from deep. But between him and Aaron Wiggins, it might be smarter for OKC to include Joe (for salary-matching purposes), as Wiggins gives them more positional versatility. Plus, Wiggins did save basketball.

With the inclusion of Topic and Joe, the Thunder wouldn't have to part ways with their best first-round picks. They can include their own first-round pick in 2025 (which will be the 30th pick), as well as the Denver Nuggets' pick in 2027 (protected from 1-5). It's not likely for the Nuggets to be a terrible team anyway by then since Nikola Jokic should still be at his best in two years, and OKC would want to keep the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers' first-round picks for themselves.

Durant is in the final year of his deal, and with the Suns lacking leverage, this is about as far as OKC should go in any potential trade for the veteran star, who will be 37 years old by the time the 2025-26 season rolls around.