Kevin Durant is once again the center of attention as the Brooklyn Nets continue to field offers from various teams in the league trying to land the superstar. Shams Charania reported earlier in the day that the Memphis Grizzlies have emerged as suitors for KD. On top of that, an offer from the Atlanta Hawks has also been turned down, which involved a package including John Collins and De’Andre Hunter.
Durant’s main preference throughout the offseason, if reports are to be believed, is the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have wanted to get Durant for a while, especially after their travesty of a playoff exit. KD could be the piece that puts them over the top, but the fiasco with Deandre Ayton suggested that any potential deal was dead.
However, Shams Charania reported in his recent piece for The Athletic that the Suns did make an offer for KD. It revolved around Defensive Player of the Year candidate Mikal Bridges and some picks, but the offer has seemingly met the same end as a lot of the others.
“The Phoenix Suns similarly have dangled a package around All-Defensive wing Mikal Bridges and a handful of first-round draft picks, which has not picked up any steam with the Nets, league sources said.
“With Deandre Ayton signed to a four-year maximum contract and unable to be moved until January, Phoenix has attempted over the past month to make creative proposals to Brooklyn, possibly via three- or four-team trades where an All-Star-caliber player goes to the Nets. But the Suns have yet to find a suitable deal.”
The same report suggested that the Heat and Celtics are among the teams currently ahead of the Suns in the race to land Durant. It’s hard to see how Phoenix can make another run with the same core, which is why they’re likely trying so hard to add Durant. How it shakes out remains to be seen, but for now, a deal the Nets might accept coming from the Suns seems unlikely.
