Phoenix Suns’ ability to land Kevin Durant hinges on player empowerment

Unlike James Harden, who only had one year left on his deal when he was traded, Kevin Durant has another four years, which makes a trade for him even more complicated.

There is precedence of a star being traded with four years left on his deal. Just one year after signing Russell Westbrook to a five year extension, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded him to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, two first-rounders and two first-round pick swaps.

At the time, Westbrook was coming off his third straight triple double season and was very much still considered a star in the league. On the other hand, Paul looked like he had started to slow down and was included to match salaries.

Obviously, Paul ended up proving that assumption wrong, but the draft compensation was ultimately the main target for the Thunder. This was confirmed when they flipped Paul to the Suns for more picks later on.

Of course, there have been exceptions to the rule in regards to superstars getting to pick where they want to play. Notably, Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors despite wanting to play in Los Angeles.

It’s important to note though that Kawhi only had one year left on his deal when he was traded, and would be able to pick his destination in free agency soon enough. With Durant still having four years left on his deal, any team not on his preferred list would be wary of trading for someone who doesn’t want to be there for the long haul.