The Brooklyn Nets moved on from Kevin Durant in February 2023 for an all-time haul that saw them receive Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first-round picks, and one first-round pick swap. It was one of the biggest trade packages ever created, as the Phoenix Suns went all-in to ensure Durant joined their team.
With the Nets also flipping Bridges to the New York Knicks for a ton of draft assets, one fan decided to compile everything Brooklyn received by trading Durant away. Kevin saw the tweet and was quick to accept the gratitude of Nets fans for setting their franchise up with a decade’s worth of assets.
“U welcome.”
U welcome
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) December 11, 2024
In the long term, the Nets will be praised for getting such an incredible haul of draft assets, which comes back to the moment they traded Durant to the Suns.
If Phoenix doesn’t want to end up on the losing side of this trade, they have to maximize winning a championship with Durant in the next few years. If they can’t lift the Larry O’Brien trophy, this deal will be a death sentence for them given they have no draft picks until 2031 because they traded everything for Durant and then Bradley Beal.
The franchise is reportedly interested in acquiring Jimmy Butler as well, though Butler’s agent has categorically denied any interest by the Suns. But if Phoenix could figure out how to get rid of Bradley Beal in a trade to the Heat, there’s a slight possibility Butler would find his way to the franchise.
They’re doubling down on their status as a franchise that’s already all-in on a championship with a core roster in place. The Nets are still on the opposite end of this spectrum, currently tanking and listening to offers for virtually every player on their roster.
Could The Suns And Nets Agree On Another Trade?
The Suns would love to discuss a deal with the Nets given all the winning players on their roster who are considered available this season. They don’t have a need for a point guard like Dennis Schroder, but the Nets’ frontcourt players could be of tremendous interest to the Suns with contracts such as Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen.
A reunion with Cam Johnson would be interesting but the Suns just don’t have the draft assets to entice the Nets to pull the trigger. Johnson is averaging 18.8 points and 4.3 rebounds this season.
Outside of him, the Suns would like the more defense-oriented Dorian Finney-Smith, who’s averaging 10.6 points and 4.3 rebounds on 42.3% from three. He’d be the perfect 3-and-D option for the franchise, although he will also command future assets the Nets don’t have.
The best-case scenario for the Suns would be if they can swap out Nurkic for Nicolas Claxton, who’s averaging 9.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game amidst a tough season. Claxton had great chemistry with Durant in Brooklyn and could be a long-term defensive center option for the Suns who need a rim protector like Claxton.
Even if these top names are hard to acquire, the Suns should look at the Nets’ bench pieces like Trendon Watford to try and land an affordable player to enhance the team’s depth.
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