Since the NBA Trade deadline in early February, all signs have pointed toward an offseason split for Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix desperately tried to acquire Jimmy Butler to pair with Durant, but Bradley Beal ended up being unmovable. After the Suns accepted that fact, they surprisingly pivoted toward exploring trade options involving the two-time Finals MVP. While obviously those never came to fruition, it was at that point it became clear Durant’s days in The Valley were numbered.
Unfortunately, Durant’s time in Phoenix has been a bit of a disappointment. When the Suns traded for him in a massive deal with the Nets in the 2022-23 season, it appeared that they would be one of the teams in control of the Western Conference for the next several years. It’s pretty much been the opposite, however. While Durant and fellow star Devin Booker have both put up numbers, the Suns front office has been unable to build a contender around those two despite their best efforts.
Now, it appears they’re ready to pull the plug on the Durant experience and start fresh. They know the “Big 3” of Durant, Booker and Beal doesn’t work. They can’t move Beal’s deal, and it would be foolish to move on from Booker, who is the youngest of the three at 28. That means parting ways with the 36-year-old star in Durant makes sense and is pretty much the only way to significantly shake things up.
Indeed, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported this weekend that – barring some magical deep playoff run – the Suns and Durant could work on a trade for the star forward this summer.
“League sources believe that there will be real changes in Phoenix coming to the Suns,” Charania said on ESPN’s NBA Countdown. “From a roster standpoint, that likely starts with Kevin Durant. And, when we look back at the trade deadline, if we remember Kevin Durant was blindsided when he was involved in trade conversations. But this offseason, from my understanding, what it would look like is the Suns and Durant would work together on any potential trade to a contender in a trade scenario. I would expect four to six contending teams with some serious involvement on Durant.”
You can watch Charania’s full comments here:
Reporting for ESPN NBA Countdown on the Suns, Kevin Durant and what's at stake: pic.twitter.com/69UeeowSOP
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 2, 2025Kevin Durant Destined to Move This Summer?
From what it sounds like, Durant may not be able to hand-pic exactly where he’s going to go, but he’ll have a pretty decent list of suitors for him to choose from.
It also didn’t sound like that list of teams was necessarily finalized. I would have to think a team like Houston would be involved. They have a phenomenal young core that is in the midst of a breakout year, but it does feel like they’re missing that one bona fide superstar. And, while Phoenix would likely prefer to move Kurant out of the conference, I don’t think that will be a dealbreaker.
Another team to keep an eye on might be the Miami Heat. Pat Riley is always in the mix to land the biggest stars when they become available, and it sounds like there were at least initial discussions surrounding a Durant/Jimmy Butler swap last month. Could he put together a package that could entice the Suns? It appears that teams who are out of the playoffs early might have a leg up on the competition in getting Durant negotiations off the ground, and Miami isn’t likely to make a deep run this year.
Also, it should be noted that Durant is extension eligible this summer, so any trade is also likely to come with a new contract. Durant is due to make north of $54 million next season, which is the final year of his current deal.
We’ll see how this all shakes out, but once the Suns are eliminated from the postseason (currently, they’re four games behind Dallas for the final Play-In Spot), I think we can expect discussions to heat up in a hurry. Though Durant will be 37 next season, he’s still playing at an elite level and is one of the best pure scorers in NBA history.
Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( All Signs Point Toward Kevin Durant & The Suns Breaking Up This Summer )
Also on site :
- Bologna vs. Empoli - Match news and live streaming
- Real Betis vs. Real Valladolid - prediction & free online live stream
- Sachin Tendulkar turns 52: Cricket legends shower love with wishes ft. Yuvraj, Harbhajan & Suresh Raina