The Phoenix Suns ended their 2023-24 season with a whimper after the franchise was swept in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves. After constructing one of the most expensive rosters in history and trading away every draft asset until 2031, the Suns are faced with the impossible task of re-tooling this roster with essentially no assets. But they could reset their books if they trade Kevin Durant.
The OKC Thunder have one foot in the second round but have a lot of space to make their roster dynasty-caliber by bringing back a veteran who never won a title with the franchise. Durant may have left OKC to chase titles in 2017, but he could be the piece that completes the maturation of their young core into champions.
Trade Details
Phoenix Suns Receive: Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, Aaron Wiggins, 2025 First-Round Pick (PHI), 2027 First-Round Pick (OKC), 2027 First-Round Pick (DEN)
OKC Thunder Receive: Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant came to Phoenix in the winter of 2023 to transform them into a contender. But odd roster-making decisions have created a situation where the Suns can’t succeed with a limited roster outside its big three. This deal allows them to recoup assets while acquiring some young pieces they could use to re-tool the core around Devin Booker.
The Phoenix Suns Maximize A Bad Situation
The Suns’ roster is barebones in terms of what they can trade. Most of their rotation is on one-year minimum contracts, so starters need to be moved. Grayson Allen’s new contract means he’s safe through the next six months from trade talks, and Bradley Beal’s massive contract with a no-trade clause likely won’t be touched by any team in the NBA, leaving Booker and Durant as the only trade assets.
Booker is their franchise cornerstone and in his prime, so the team will have to move KD if they choose not to run it back, outside making a small move to possibly replace Jusuf Nurkic. Getting Josh Giddey to form a competent backcourt pairing with Booker could be valuable, especially given Giddey is still just 21 years old. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this season, with Booker making up for a lot of his scoring deficiencies.
Lu Dort is a winning piece that the Suns could deploy instantly all across the frontcourt. He’s one of the best defenders in the NBA and could be the biggest loss in this deal. He’s averaged 10.9 points and 3.6 rebounds this season and is a winning piece the Suns would be ecstatic to get. Aaron Wiggins is still a rising youngster but his versatility and production would be encouraging for Phoenix.
Getting these players with three picks is the best Phoenix could do. The Thunder still maintain their massive draft asset pool while acquiring a superstar to complete an incredible NBA story, although with a fair bit of risk.
The OKC Thunder Go All-In On Winning
The Thunder’s season outcome is still undetermined, as the young group could easily make a deep run in the playoffs after taking a 3-0 series lead in their first-round matchup. If they find themselves out in the second round of the Conference Finals, thinking about a short-term bet on a high-value star like Durant could be valuable. Even with his advancing age, Durant averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists this season. He’s proven to be a malleable off-ball player who can fit into any offensive system.
This trade only works if Durant buys into the new culture at OKC and follows the lead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been embraced by everyone as the team leader. Durant is known to be better off when he’s expected to hoop and not lead, with his veteran presence on the court providing an option that makes their existing roster absolutely lethal.
Jalen Williams can stop playing out of position as a power forward and move to the three as Durant takes that role. KD’s defensive fundamentals won’t be required to carry OKC’s defense given the strength of Shai on the perimeter and Chet Holmgren on the inside. He would be the ideal offensive fit given how OKC plays, while adding more legitimate size to a roster that’s struggled on that front this season.
OKC shouldn’t be worried about the picks they send out given the depth of their asset pool, but the loss of a locker room guy and tenacious defender like Dort could upset the culture of the team.
Can Both Teams Take A Step Forward In This Deal?
Losing a player of Durant’s caliber is never a good move and the Suns would likely regress with Durant gone for a trio of rotational players. However, it allows Devin Booker to further imprint his authority on the team while adding more structure to the roster with the addition of three multi-positional players. Bradley Beal being unmovable will continue to restrict them, but even Beal could find success as his offensive value will be heightened in Durant’s absence and with a guard like Giddey on the floor.
The Thunder could just trust the development of their core and stick with it, regardless of the outcome this season. Adding a player like Durant is a considerable risk, but it could be one worth taking. The Suns demolished years of roster building to acquire Durant and further tore it apart to acquire Beal, a mistake the Thunder won’t have to make.
If the Suns accept the value they’re getting, OKC gets to add Durant while maintaining the three best players on their roster. It would make them unstoppable, provided KD buys into his role like he did when he was with the Thunder. The story of him coming back to the franchise where he started his career and was scorned for leaving would be incredible, allowing him to complete his career arc similar to when LeBron James returned to Cleveland to win them a title.
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