The Phoenix Suns made a big splash at the trade deadline in 2023, acquiring Kevin Durant while giving up four first-round picks, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, and also dealing away Jae Crowder. But while Crowder had a poor relationship with the franchise and hierarchy, it was a different case for Bridges and Johnson.
Both Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson had been developed by the Phoenix Suns, and Head Coach Monty Williams had been instrumental in helping them grow. So it’s natural for him to have been upset to see them go. He admitted that he took the news quite hard, going as far as to say that he cried.
“If I was going to lose Cam and Mikal, it better be for Kevin,” Williams told ESPN. “You know what I mean? It’s like you’re crying in one eye and then the other eye is kind of bright. That’s the only time in my coaching that I’ve cried [after a trade].”
The deal worked out for both parties, Kevin Durant has lost just one game in a Phoenix Suns jersey so far. Mikal Bridges has surpassed expectations in Brooklyn already, too, emerging as a first option and a star in his short stint with the team. Considering how much he has blossomed, it’s easy to see why Monty Williams was reluctant to watch him go along with Cam Johnson.
Even Mikal Bridges Understood Why The Suns Dealt Him For Kevin Durant
Players like Mikal Bridges don’t grow on trees. A contender for Defensive Player Of The Year and someone with the potential to be a star playing in a limited role to help the team is truly rare to find. This is why the only way he was going to be traded is if the return included one of the greatest players ever like Kevin Durant. In the aftermath of the deal, even Bridges seemed to accept it.
“It’s KD. I get it. 100% get it… Just being a realist at the end of the day… You’re getting Kevin Durant. I’d probably make that trade, too.”
If the Phoenix Suns don’t win a championship with Kevin Durant, they might live to regret this trade. Mikal Bridges averaged over 26 points per game for the Nets after being traded, and Cam Johnson is also a solid piece. Monty Williams was probably not the only person that cried after Bridges and Johnson left, a lot of fans were bummed out too.
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