3 players the Phoenix Suns could realistically trade in 2023-24

2. Kevin Durant

Alright, stick with us here while we try and land the plane. Is Durant likely to get traded next season? No, because he is the team’s best player on any given night, is a superstar in the tail end of his prime, and already seems to have a really good relationship with Booker.

But if… if the Suns really are struggling to start the season, and it gets no better by the trade deadline, two things could happen. From the perspective of the Suns’ front office, he is the most likely star player they have to be traded. We already know why, because Booker is never going to be moved and Beal is going to be given time.

Durant would then be the most likely of the three to be moved if a major shake-up was required. He would also get the franchise a bigger return than Beal anyway if it came down to it. He may be 34-years-old, but any team in the league would love to have the guy. That’s only half of the story though.

Durant has in the past left a dynasty in the Golden State Warriors and more importantly — he turned his back on a super team in the Nets who had Kyrie Irving and James Harden. So if the Suns look like a group that is too focused on scoring and can’t defend well, and the record shows it, how long before Durant realizes his best chance of winning another ring lies elsewhere?

That sounds ridiculous of course, because there are few better situations for Durant to be in. But the same appeared to be true in Brooklyn, and we’re living in a moment where Harden showed in a recent outburst on a tour of China (reminder, never trade for James Harden) that the player empowerment era has never been so bold. Not as unrealistic as you might think then.