The Suns are not promising to move Kevin Durant to one of his preferred destinations, reports Marc Stein for The Stein Line (Substack link). Although Phoenix would like to find a win-win trade, the club is intent on acquiring the best return to position itself for a Durant-less future.
Given that the Suns surrendered much of their first-round draft pick equity as well as valuable players in Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson to bring Durant in, recouping as much value as possible is crucial as they attempt to reshape the roster on the fly around Devin Booker.
So while the Spurs, Rockets, and Heat are reportedly atop Durant’s wish list (the Knicks would have been too if they were serious about pursuing the star forward, Stein writes), the Raptors or any number of other wild-card teams could still be in play.
We have more from the Suns:
- Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic confirms Stein’s reporting, while adding that finding a balance between the team’s interests and doing right by the player can be important in a league that is increasingly star-driven. Another factor that Rankin says will play a big part is the pressure on newly elevated general manager Brian Gregory to impress ownership and fans with the trade return after the team underperformed dramatically last season.
- People in the league expect a Durant deal to happen as early as this coming week, reports Rankin. Rankin adds that the Rockets would appear to be the ideal destination for Durant, given their young, defensive infrastructure and bounty of both players and draft capital to use in a trade. However, the Suns have always had more interest than the Rockets in a Durant-to-Houston deal, Stein notes.
- Ryan Nembhard, brother of Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, is set to visit the Suns for a pre-draft workout this week, according to Rankin. The Gonzaga guard, who averaged 10.5 points and an NCAA-leading 9.8 assists per game this season, is set to visit more than 15 teams during the pre-draft process, Rankin writes.
They don’t owe Durant anything. Trade him to the team that gives you the best pieces.
He doesn’t owe them anything either. He could just play out the season and walk or just refuse to report to a team he didn’t want to play for. He wouldn’t get paid in that scenario but it’s not like he needs the money.
He loves and respects the sport too much to even consider doing something like that. He’s no Ben Simmons.
He just won’t sign an extension and then teams won’t offer as muc
Might benefit a team not to extend him. See how he fits or stays healthy.
Irrelevant. He’s on an expiring contract. A team he doesn’t want to be on which trades for him will just lose him after one season. He has all the power here, and he will be traded to a team he wants and the return will be light.
You guys act like there’s going to be a million teams eagerly waiting to give a 37 year old who has been injury prone a contract extension.
If Jimmy-KD goes down you all haters (not necessarily you, DDC) owe me $1000 each or you have to quit posting here, lol
And if that deal doesn’t happen, what is your penance?
My penance? Real posters don’t apply to that, its only for the reply guys who cowardly never present any trade ideas of their own, on this, the trade ideas and RUMORS website, and post on here only ever criticizing every single trade idea using the stupidest hyperbole they can muster.
Hope that clears things up for you.
That’s weak, tbh. You want ppl to go away if you end up ‘being right’. If you put yourself out there repeatedly, which sounds like might be the case, then you have to have a little bit thicker skin, imo. If you keep drilling down the same rabbit hole, then you probably should prepare for some pushback… goes with the territory.
Do you not see the level of stalking and harassment I get on here? Purposely removing words out of my posts to make an arugment Im not making that makes me look stupid? Cmon, no one gets it on here worse than I do and Im nowhere near as annoying as Silivan or KickerbockerAi. All replying, never posting. Those types make this place worse. Either do both, or get lost.
Your harassment is self inflicted by your blind delusion to your own team. If you want a bunch of yes men that are going to tell you that it’s realistic to trade Draymond, Moody, Hield and picks to get Giannis then go to a warriors fan page and you can all beat each other off about it.
You are your own worst enemy lol. Saying your trade 1000 times doesn’t make it so. We got it the first time. You claim to know ball —-
Then you should understand that Suns want to rebuild, retool, get younger. Jimmy doesn’t fit that scenario….
Right. This is his inner diva kicking in.., and if the teams on his wishlist don’t want to make a deal for him..?
You never know. It worked out OK for the Raptors with Kawhi, who never wanted to be in Toronto.
Jimmy and KD spotted hanging out…Jimmy doing potential recruiting?
Haven’t dropped this one yet, but this is a nice interesting starting point for a framework for a trade:
KD for Draymond, Buddy, Moody + 2 firsts + other teams come in to make it a multi-teamer to even the money out. Maybe Buddy and Moody don’t even end up on Phoenix, and they get better fitting players via a multi-team trade. Although Draymond -does- work well there.
No one is offering a better deal than this. Suns winning 50+ with this deal as are GSW.
Buddy and Moody more SG’s to go with Booker Beal and Allen. Still no point guard, a lack of forwards and a need at centre but you think they win 50+ games lol
Stop with the GSW delusion
“Maybe Buddy and Moody don’t even end up on Phoenix,”
Just gunna totally ignore key words and phrases, not a bright one are we?
Says the guy that been posting for months about a Jimmy for KD 1:1 and now is convinced Jimmy is recruiting.
“Just gunna totally ignore key words and phrases, not a bright one are we?”
Because you tacked that nebulous idiocy at the end of your already silly trade proposal. Why not just say “maybe they do a bunch of trades with several teams involving many players, then they’ll win 50+ games!!!!”?
Didn’t think so.
Simmons > Russ just going out of their way to lie so they can troll me again, sigh. 6 upvotes by others I have blocked. Sick.
Steve Kerr is a great coach and without him they’d be a top 5 lotto team.
“ KD for Draymond, Buddy, Moody + 2 firsts + other teams come in to make it a multi-teamer to even the money out.”
Well nobody has ever accused Davey of being bright smart educated or knowledgable.
Personally I think the Thunder should bring home the prodigal son and let him win a championship where he began it all and made name for himself all those years.
Dort
Joe
Williams
Dieng
Topic
Mitchell
work money wise
Add picks to make the deal work from the Thunders stockpile
Suns picks up young players in Dieng Topic former lottery picks, intriguing player in Mitchell , a reliable role player in Dort, can cut Joe Williams if they wish and acquire draft picks including this years 15th pick.
They’d have no interest in giving up that much young talent. If KD were a few yrs younger, possibly….
Now that the bane deal is done we can move onto smaller fish such as old kd
Sadly for PHO is not about what they want, but more about what KD wants… any team that is not on his list of preferred teams should not offer anywhere near what the teams that are on his list should offer. If he gets traded to a team that he is not happy with he won’t extend his contract, so who’s going to pay a king’s ransom for a one year rental?
Nothing the Heat can offer is better than the Rockets or Spurs imo. Even if they involve a 3rd team.
Suns don’t want to tank, they don’t have their picks, but they wont get good enough pieces back to get beyond play-in.
It may behoove the Rockets to enter the deal regardless of who lands Durant to ship a pick or two back to the Suns for future unprotected picks from other teams, slightly further dated out than 27 and 29
Sochan, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes and 2 firsts works. Randle, Divincenzo, Dillingham and a first works too.
Jalen Green, Jabari, Landale and 2 firsts.
Ball is in the suns court.
Wolves aren’t giving up Dilllingham. Take him out and add that 31 and sounds good. Although being able to dump Randle should be a 1-2 FRP negative asset.
I believe a Giannis trade must happen first. Before a KD trade goes down. I still believe Giannis will be traded. Now if a Giannis trade doesn’t happen. Then teams should be making offers at draft. Where the best value will be for KD…
I still think Spurs or Rockets will trade for Giannis draft night. Then we could see KD go next.
Giannis isn’t going anywhere.
If Giannis is content with being a one and done champ, raptors should turn their attention to acquiring Markkanen.