The NBA season isn’t over but we’re already talking about the end of the Kevin Durant era with the Phoenix Suns.
It’s true, the Suns have been one of this season’s biggest disappointments as they’ve managed to muster up a pitiful 30-34 record to sit 1.5 games back of the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. This season can’t even be blamed on injuries like in years past, but with a roster that is top heavy with Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal consuming most of the payroll, it’s easy to see where some of Phoenix’s issues lie.
The Suns tried to make improvements at the trade deadline, as they were heavily favored to land Jimmy Butler. But that deal never materialized given the one guy they wanted to trade — Beal — has a no-trade clause and the Miami Heat wanted nothing to do with his albatross of a contract. Then there were rumors that the Suns were trying to trade Durant to the Golden State Warriors in a deal that would’ve landed them Butler, but Durant put the kibosh on that when he caught wind of his name being mentioned in trade fodder.
Kevin Durant reveals why he nixed trade from Suns to Warriors: ‘It just doesn’t make sense for either side’
Sam Quinn
After the deadline, Durant told former Warriors teammate Draymond Green on his podcast, “It just doesn’t make sense for either side to go through that when we could just play the season out and if that’s the decision you want to make in the offseason then you figure it out.”
With the Suns trying — and failing — to trade Durant once, and Phoenix likely headed down a path next season that will feel eerily similar to the situation they’re currently in, the trade rumors have continued to circle the two-time NBA champion.
The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin reported Monday that Durant was “upset” that the Suns put him in trade talks in February, and that it’s “hard to see” the All-Star forward remaining with the Suns past this season. If Phoenix does look to trade Durant, who is owed $54.7 million next season, the Suns would look for a package that includes three first-round picks, and a young player, per Rankin.
The idea would likely be to retool around Devin Booker, who has been with the Suns since they drafted 13th overall in 2015. If Phoenix enters this summer with the intention of trading Durant, or if Durant himself requests a trade, there will be no shortage of suitors lining up to sign the 36-year-old forward. The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a team long rumored to have interest in Durant, and it’s no secret that Anthony Edwards views Durant as his favorite basketball player ever. The Houston Rockets have also been a team tied to Durant, and have the assets the Suns would covet in a return package. The Dallas Mavericks were once considered a possible landing spot for Durant in a trade, but Marc Stein is reporting that the team’s interest has been “overstated.”
There’s no telling who else could emerge this summer as potential suitors for Durant, but there will surely be a bidding war for his talents. As for the Suns, trading Durant alone won’t solve their issues. Beal should also be traded this summer if the plan is to start next season with a clean-ish slate. If Phoenix opts to deal Durant, and manages to shed Beal’s contract, it would put them in a far better financial position to build a more balanced roster around Booker, who is still just 28 years old and performing at an All-Star level.
