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KEY POINTS
- Kevin Durant is finally headed to Phoenix after an offseason of rumors
- The Suns front office has dealt fan-favorites Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson
- Western Conference teams are expected to stockpile defensive assets to stop Durant and the Suns
The Phoenix Suns fanbase have had their prayers answered as Kevin Durant is officially heading to “The Valley” in what might be the biggest trade of the season.
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski delivered his signature “Woj Bomb,” a nickname given to his big announcements by NBA fans, past midnight of Thursday’s trade deadline which is set for 3:00 PM ET.
The trade is as follows:
Phoenix Suns receive:
- Kevin Durant, F
- TJ Warren, F
Brooklyn Nets receive:
- Mikal Bridges, F
- Cameron Johnson, F
- Jae Crowder, F
- 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 first-round picks
The deal also includes a 2028 pick swap.
Conversations of Durant taking his talents to Phoenix were a big plot point in the recent offseason with a flurry of packages being drawn up, such as this one which involves Deandre Ayton as the centerpiece.
However, a trade did not materialize and the relationship between Durant and the Nets was instead mended and that was that–at least until recently when the franchise sent Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks for roster depth.
Few would have ever expected to see Durant in a Suns jersey since few expected it to ever happen, but as the NBA has shown time and time again, the impossible is simply part of the proceedings of an 82-game regular season.
While fans are still reeling from the shock of such a big trade happening in the middle of the season, none are more devastated than Suns fans.
Bridges and Johnson, lovingly called the “Twins,” had become such big fan favorites since being drafted in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Bridges, who spent three years in Villanova, had signed a massive four-year, $90 million extension with the Suns in October 2021 while Johnson was on the verge of becoming a restricted free agent this offseason with his rookie-scale deal being in its final season.
In an almost ironic twist of fate, Bridges will be playing for the team he had a 21-point, eight-rebound outing against this past Tuesday, February 7 as he helped the Suns down the Nets 116-112, with Johnson chipping in with 14 points.
As for Johnson, the Kentucky product had just returned to the Sun’s lineup on January 19, again ironically, against the Nets, leading them to a 5-point win after partially tearing his meniscus on November 8, 2022.
The NBA landscape has shifted so drastically in the past few days that it is nearly unfathomable that the Suns have propelled themselves back into the NBA title picture just by acquiring Durant despite a 30-26 record–good for fifth and two games behind the third-seeded Sacramento Kings.
In spite of how Suns fans are feeling, acquiring Durant, regardless of the cost, is a massive get for them.
The two-time NBA champion will have an opportunity to bring the franchise its first-ever championship ring while teaming up with the likes of all-time great point guard Chris Paul and star shooting guard Devin Booker.
The Suns’ core will now be composed of Durant, Paul, Booker and Deandre Ayton with a bevy of options at the wing spot and that is definitely a championship-contending core if there ever was one in the current landscape.
Pick-and-roll plays involving all four are certainly going to be on the table and not to mention the much-needed isolation scoring that Durant brings with him.
With the trade deadline set for 3:00 PM ET on Thursday, the Western Conference is expected to be in an arms race to find a way to stop the storm that has formed in Phoenix.
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