The Phoenix Suns’ imminent rebuild seems to be on the horizon after missing the NBA Playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Trading an aging Kevin Durant seems to be the better option for them instead of their All-Star, who is in his prime, Devin Booker.
The recent buzz seems to have made it an inevitability that we will hear about a Kevin Durant trade this summer. It is more a question of ‘when and where?’ instead of ‘if’ at this point. The former NBA player Jay Williams recently appeared on ESPN and claimed that the Minnesota Timberwolves should be the frontrunners to get Durant only due to the resulting impact on Anthony Edwards.
“I personally feel that the best fit is Minnesota. Number 1, it’s like Outlaws, right? It’s like Tupac and Snoop on the album cover; that is, Anthony Edwards and Kevin Durant. USA Basketball was an incredible time for them. You saw their bond continue to mature.”
“Anthony Edwards does not call any player in the world his favorite player; he’s one of the most competitive dudes you’ve ever met, he’ll call KD that. And Marc Lore, Alex Rodriguez, new ownership in Minnesota, if it’s a year deal, I would sign KD to an extension, because it helps Anthony Edwards get to that next level. He’s a superstar, but Anthony Edwards can become a supernova if he has KD by his side.”
Following his experience with veterans like Stephen Curry and LeBron James in the Olympics, the resulting impact on his game was visible in this season itself. He first led the Timberwolves to beat Kevin Durant’s Suns 4-0 in their season series. Then in the Playoffs, his team beat both Curry and James’ teams, the Warriors and the Lakers, in five games to head to his second consecutive Western Conference Finals experience.
Anthony Edwards averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 79 games this season. Edwards and the Timberwolves seem to be on the precipice of becoming a team that could win multiple championships over the next decade. If he gets another 25 points per game scorers like Durant on his team, he would no longer feel pressured to carry their offensive load and play even more freely.
Julius Randle, who came to the Timberwolves as part of a trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, was a consistent second option for Edwards this season. However, his lack of experience in the Playoffs proved pivotal, and he failed to show up for them in two games and finished with 6 and 5 points in games 2 and 4 of their series against the Thunder.
If they replace Randle with Durant as the second option for Edwards, it would propel the Timberwolves and Edwards personally to another level. Should Rodriguez and Lore pull the trigger and go all in on a win-now move for Durant? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
