What If: Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns
With the Oklahoma City Thunder officially eliminated from the playoffs, Kevin Durant becomes the biggest name in free agency.
Lebron James is still an absolute monster of a player – but Kevin Durant is much younger, and is entering his true prime.
Put on your GM cap – imagine you’re playing NBA 2K – who do you build around? Youth gives KD the edge at this point. Kevin Durant will win another MVP before he is done, and I personally hope that happens in a Thunder or a Suns jersey.
Let’s be clear here: KD leaving OKC at all is a long-shot:
Most insiders see the most likely scenario at present to be Kevin Durant staying in OKC on a two-year max deal with an opt-out after Year 1.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 31, 2016
Regardless, let’s say KD leaves. How would OKC view him? KD has a split legacy. Drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, he briefly represented the hopes of a true basketball city. By no fault of Kevin Durant, the Sonics soon became the Oklahoma City Thunder – another great basketball city.
KD is a young scoring machine. Lebron is the greatest of his generation, but he has already taken a tremendous load on his body, with over 46,000 minutes played heading into the 2016 NBA Finals, combining his regular season and playoff minutes.
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Kevin Durant is the best long-term piece on the market. What would it look like if the Suns got KD? Epic.
Assuming the Suns signed KD to a max contract, they would have to be somewhat conservative in free agency. But if you have a player like Kevin Durant, you have incredible flexibility.
The Phoenix Suns could run out a roster of:
PG: Eric Bledsoe, John Jenkins, Archie Goodwin
SG: Devin Booker, Brandon Knight
SF: Kevin Durant, T.J. Warren
PF: Kevin Durant (occasionally), Dragan Bender (if taken 4th overall), Jon Leuer
Remember that the Suns could also add in 2 or 3 additional young pieces with their later picks (13th, 28th, and 34th overall).
The 2016 NBA draft is heavy in forward prospects, meaning the Suns can easily add depth at that position.
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Signing all those players would leave the Suns with a small amount of cap left – but likely enough to sign a veteran player looking to win with Durant.
From this group, the Suns would only be at risk of losing Archie Goodwin and Alex Len during the 2017-18 season. This would be a young, versatile team.
With the addition of Kevin Durant, the Phoenix Suns would be legitimate contenders immediately – and a long-term beast team.
must read: Would Jahlil Okafor Fit Suns?
You can say it is unlikely, but you can’t say it can’t happen. KD is a free agent, and the Suns have money to offer. It would be a shocker, but Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns would benefit both sides.