After nearly two months of speculation, which honestly felt longer given the current state of the NBA offseason, the Phoenix Suns and 28 other NBA teams can finally put down the phones in regard to Kevin Durant.
On Tuesday, the Brooklyn Nets released a statement confirming the two-time Finals MVP will remain with the franchise, with all parties agreeing to ‘move forward with our partnership’.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 23, 2022
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets’ decision to move forward together is a win for the Phoenix Suns and their championship aspirations.
Outside of joining the Suns themselves, Durant’s stay in Brooklyn is as good a result as Phoenix could have hoped for. Once Deandre Ayton re-signed with the franchise, which removed him from trade eligibility in the short-term, the Suns capacity to acquire Durant was always going to be severely limited.
Now, Phoenix and other Western Conference rivals can look from afar to witness if Brooklyn can resolve what’ll remain a messy situation. They know they’ll only have to play them twice throughout the regular season, and wouldn’t need to meet them in the playoffs till the NBA Finals.
Make no mistake, this Nets team on paper is a dangerous wildcard. Kyrie Irving is free from the vaccine mandate, and anything from Ben Simmons is a bonus. People have discussed the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers among the battle of Eastern Conference supremacy, but a time may finally come where Brooklyn conquers them all.
Of course, there’s still the potential that things go pear shaped for a team that’s dramatically underperformed in Irving and Durant’s tenure. If reports are true, that Durant made an ultimatum between himself and general manager Sean Marks, along with head coach Steve Nash, then how does the franchise reconcile that effectively?
If nothing else it buys time for the Suns. Perhaps the situation is irreconcilable, and that some point down the line Durant again requests a trade. By that stage, Phoenix should be in a better position to make a far greater offer should they wish.