It’s been a long and tenuous stint for Kevin Durant in Brooklyn. The experiment with Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Ben Simmons, and KD can’t be called anything but an abject failure, with James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and now Durant leaving after demanding trades. So, after Durant asked for his second trade in a little over three years, he was finally dealt to the Suns just before the trade deadline.

The Nets must have been listening to the We Like Sportz Podcast this week, since the consensus was that Brooklyn should scrap the superstar experiment and get as much value from KD as possible after they dealt Kyrie. They did exactly that by acquiring a ton of assets in both picks and players.

The Details: Brooklyn sends Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren to the Suns in exchange for 2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029 first round picks and a 2028 pick swap, along with Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Jae Crowder.

Kevin Durant will breathe some fresh desert air in Phoenix, where he finds himself among Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, and others. Durant was looking for a team in need of a superstar, and he found one in the Suns. Despite Brooklyn seeking deals to replenish the talent around Durant, the writing has been on the wall since Kyrie was dealt that KD would not be a Net for much longer.

For Brooklyn, it’s obvious that they have acquired the assets to rebuild the roster, with 4 first round picks and a swap to potentially move up the draft in 2028. However, it has been said and repeated that the team who gets the best player in the trade, wins the trade. Brooklyn acquired players, but none at the caliber of Durant. At least one, Jae Crowder, might not want to get too comfortable in Brooklyn, as the Nets have too many wing players, and a lot of teams, including the Cavaliers and Bucks, in need at the position.

For the Suns, who are in 5th place in the Western Conference, they found a piece that may finally push them to the next level when the playoffs come around. The Suns are 8.5 games out of first place a tight Western Conference. Can the addition of KD help them push to the top of the conference with only 26 games left to play. The odds aren’t great, with teams like Memphis, Dallas (who just acquired Irving), and the Nuggets in their way.

The Suns are 21st in the NBA in points per game. Outside of Devin Booker, the Suns lack a prolific scorer who can put up points in the paint. Ayton is serviceable, but with only 18.4 points per game, KD will open the offense. KD comes to Phoenix averaging 29.7 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, and 5.3 assists per game. Having his versatility should take the Suns from a middle of the pack playoff team to a true contender. We have seen how Durant can take over a game, especially with facilitators on the floor like Chris Paul.

The question for Brooklyn now is whether to continue selling. Do they move Crowder to a contender for more assets to build the roster? That remains to be seen and with one day on the clock, there is not much time to make deals for a player that was just acquired.

The NBA trade deadline is today, are there any other major moves that will be made? For the sake of having more content to cover, I certainly hope so!

*Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated*