Durant is once again caught up in trade rumors! He is reportedly interested in teaming up with Cunningham to chase a championship, and the Pistons are ready to submit a bid at any moment.

On July 4, Beijing time, per ClutchPoints insider Siegel, Durant is once again at the center of trade speculation. He is keen to join forces with Cunningham in a championship push, and the Pistons are determined to land Durant. Despite the failure of an earlier three-team trade proposal, they are still ready to pounce. Here is Siegel's full report—

Sources reveal that the Celtics, in their effort to move Jaylen Brown in exchange for future draft picks and young talent, reached out to several teams, including the Houston Rockets. While the discussions never progressed to the point of a formal offer, Jaylen Brown himself was interested in joining the Rockets.

A source told ClutchPoints that the core reason the Celtics were willing to engage in trade talks with the Rockets was Alperen Sengun—Boston made it clear they would not hesitate to send Brown if they could get Sengun in return. Although the Rockets have not actively listed their core players for trade this offseason, they remain open to all offers. Unlike Amen Thompson, who is considered untouchable, players like Durant and Sengun are not in that category.

This offseason, multiple teams have called the Rockets to inquire about the trade availability of both Sengun and Durant.The Detroit Pistons have been the most aggressive team in pursuing Durant, even orchestrating a multi-team deal involving the Celtics and Rockets..

That three-team deal never advanced beyond the conceptual stage: the Pistons would get Durant, the Celtics would acquire Sengun, and Jaylen Brown would head to the Rockets. Pistons management, led by Trajan Langdon, has been extremely aggressive this summer, determined to equip MVP candidate Cade Cunningham with championship-caliber teammates, and Durant has always been their top target.

Sources say that before targeting Durant, the Pistons originally planned to sign Lakers star Austin Reaves to a max contract and also land Hornets guard Coby White in free agency. But that plan completely fell apart: the Lakers matched the Pistons' max offer sheet for Reaves, and then the Hornets traded LaMelo Ball, establishing Coby White as their starting point guard.

Regarding the rumored three-team trade involving Durant, Sengun, and Brown, the Rockets were never interested in a framework that would see them lose both of their core players. They had already invested heavily in Durant last offseason and had no desire to bring in Jaylen Brown, and league insiders generally agree that the Rockets were not a likely destination for that Celtics trade.

However, the Celtics and Pistons did not give up. They continued working on trade scenarios to land Sengun and Durant respectively, which gave birth to the idea of a three-team deal.

Two league sources with knowledge of the situation told ClutchPoints that the Pistons were determined to get Durant, but the three-team proposal never materialized. After brief separate talks between the Pistons and Rockets, no viable deal was reached either.The most crucial piece of information among all the rumors: Durant is open to playing alongside Pistons star Cade Cunningham.

Cunningham has been highly praised by Durant since his early career, and Durant has publicly described him multiple times as a "player with unique talent."

The biggest question now is whether the Rockets will keep Durant. Notably, in trade negotiations, the team does not consider Durant an untouchable asset. When the Rockets originally acquired Durant, it was to address the talent gap left by Jalen Green and fill roster holes, with the goal of making a playoff push and competing for a championship in the West—but that signing was never part of a long-term roster plan.

Many league insiders doubt that the Rockets will keep Durant through the end of his contract, which runs through the 2027-28 season.Last offseason's internal conflicts were no secret: Durant's burner account controversy caused a stir, and the entire organization was disappointed—even with a former MVP on the roster, the team failed to achieve a breakthrough, and locker room tensions continued to fester.

As soon as Durant enters the trade market, or if the Rockets show any recent willingness to put him on the block, the Pistons will immediately submit an offer.

Back to the Pistons, this offseason they have overhauled the roster around Cunningham, leaving only the frontcourt pieces to be finalized. The top priority is resolving Jalen Duren's contract extension.