There really is nothing quite like the NBA trade deadline. Before the 2022-2023 NBA season commenced, Kevin Durant told Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai to either trade him or fire coach Steve Nash and General Manager Sean Marks. Despite Tsai doing neither of those things, Durant ultimately rescinded his request to see how the season would play out. After a whole saga – that will eventually make for a really entertaining 30-for-30 documentary somewhere down the line – he seems to have gotten his initial wish. The Phoenix Suns have made a blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant (via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN).
Phoenix will send Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks, as well as a 2028 pick swap in exchange for Kevin Durant and TJ Warren. A lot of those wing players will likely become trade assets for the Brooklyn Nets, which are probably looking for a complete rebuild through the draft. The first-round picks they’ve just received from the Suns are from 2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029. All unprotected. A massive move reportedly spearheaded by Phoenix Suns’ new owner Mat Ishba.
We don’t need to tell you how good Kevin Durant is. He’s a 13-time All-Star that was in the running for his second MVP trophy before going down with an injury this season. He’s good. Damn good. So good, in fact, that he can go out and get you a championship if surrounded with the right pieces. The Phoenix Suns will enter the playoffs with a starting lineup that includes Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Deandre Ayton. It’s borderline unfair.
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The Suns have found themselves slipping a bit in the years following their appearance in the 2020-2021 NBA Finals against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. They currently have a record of 30-26 as the fifth seed. This isn’t bad, but it’s nowhere near as dominant as they were a few years ago. With a 37-year-old Chris Paul as your starting point guard showing a noticeable decline in ability, you want to be a little more than not bad. After trading for Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns might just be favourites to win the whole damn thing.
If you thought the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns already had a rivalry, they each just found themselves with half of the famous Brooklyn Nets pairing. This is a playoff series we are dying to see. Will the Suns be able to exact revenge on our favourite 23-year-old chubby Slovenian man?
