After a period of major speculation that had Phoenix Suns fans and the general NBA world holding its breath, Kevin Durant has backflipped on his trade request and will remain with the Brooklyn Nets.
What’s left is a rubble of steaming hot mess for a number of teams, not least the Nets as they seek a way forward after a tumultuous phase. With the league and each franchise focused on Durant’s situation, a number of players and issues were either left aside on the scrapheap, or became entangled in what’s turned out to be a non-event.
Yesterday I noted that the Suns, along with other Western Conference teams, were the major winners in the Durant backflip. While that remains true, there’s still a concerning matter for James Jones and the Phoenix front office.
After Kevin Durant’s decision to remain with the Brooklyn Nets, some rival teams, including the Phoenix Suns, may need to have difficult conversations with their important players.
Following the Durant news, Utah Jazz guard Patrick Beverley was quick to identify the impact that a situation like this can have on fellow players.
Yal can sit and don’t say nothing but that ain’t cool. It’s dudes with families out here who haven’t got a job because of this KD shit. And to be on and off ain’t cool. Blessing Gang🙏🏾🏀
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) August 23, 2022
Beverley is likely referring to players who remain free agents, ones that haven’t been signed yet because teams were awaiting a Durant outcome. However, a similar impact can be said of players whose names are thrown around in genuine trade reports.
Put it in the perspective of life, it’s hardly a tough position. But these players have often reached the level due to confidence in their own ability, so any thought of a team not wanting them has to be a knock to the ego.
Most players brush it off and move forward with no ill-effects, but sometimes there is a lingering issue. Perhaps the primary reason for Ben Simmons’ trade request from the Philadelphia 76ers was the lack of support for him following the 2021 playoffs. However, it also stems from a general lack of faith as the franchise sought to move him for James Harden following his trade request from the Houston Rockets earlier that season.
We saw the tweets from Mikal Bridges yesterday, with reports surfacing that he was offered by the Suns in a Durant deal. Phoenix now need to have an open and honest conversation with him, rather than sweep it under the carpet as if nothing happened.
The Suns aren’t alone – many teams will need to have similar conversations. That most notably includes the Boston Celtics who reportedly offered up their second-best player, Jaylen Brown, in a package for the two-time Finals MVP.
We’ll probably find that this doesn’t affect Bridges or his relationship with the franchise, that he understands it’s the business of the NBA. Still, it’s something to look out for heading into training camp and the start of next season.