Giannis Antetokounmpo may have changed everything for the Suns in a single tweet

The Phoenix Suns owe Giannis Antetokounmpo a big, fat, all-caps THANK YOU. He just ensured they'll get as much as possible in their inevitable Kevin Durant trade. And it only took him one tweet.

Amid an avalanche of trade speculation, Antetokounmpo posted this to X (formerly Twitter):

This show of loyalty to the Milwaukee Bucks came shortly after the two-time MVP basically said what he posted word-for-word in an interview. "The Finals are different, I hope to be back soon with the Bucks," he told Coast to Coast Brasil, as translated by Eurohoops.

Bucks fans should be ecstatic. And Suns fans should be, too. ESPN’s Shams Charania recently suggested Phoenix would like to move KD to another team sooner rather than later—as in before the June 25 NBA draft. That could have been problematic if suitors were waiting on a resolution to Giannis’ future. 

Well, Antetokounmpo may have just removed himself from the rumor mill, making it easier for the Suns to trade Durant on their own timeline. More than that, though, he may have also increased the return Phoenix is able to extract from KD’s eventual landing spot.

Giannis Antetokounmpo suitors now become Kevin Durant bidders

Pretty much any team that was hoping to extricate Giannis from Milwaukee will now pivot to Durant. The latter may be older, with his 37th birthday right around the corner, but he’s still a superstar, and this summer’s trade market isn’t teeming with top-15 players. For the time being, Durant is the superstar trade market.

This bodes extremely well for the Suns. They will still be sorely disappointed if they’re hoping to match what they gave up for KD. Phoenix shipped out four unprotected first-round picks, one first-round swap, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson to land him. No front office interested in keeping its job will surrender the equivalent of that for a soon-to-be 37-year-old entering the final season of his contract.

Still, the price of a Durant trade has officially gone up. The Suns have more leverage in negotiations with Giannis apparently taking himself off the auction block.

Suns fans should keep an eye on these two KD suitors

Both the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs were billed as potential Giannis landing spots. They have both also been portrayed as KD suitors. 

Charania mentioned the Rockets specifically in his latest report, and prior to the NBA Finals, the ESPN insider revealed there was “mutual interest” between Durant and the Spurs at February’s trade deadline.

Houston and San Antonio were no doubt monitoring the situations of both Giannis and KD. But would the Rockets be as likely to ship out multiple first-round picks and younger names like Jabari Smith Jr., Cam Whitmore, and Reed Sheppard for an aging Durant if the 30-year-old Antetokounmpo was still in play? 

And would the Spurs consider parting with a multitude of future first-rounders and expiring salary to help iron out the Suns’ long-term books if Giannis was on the table?

We all know the answer to these questions. It’s a resounding “No.” Now, though? Everything has changed.

Unless Giannis backtracks from his recent comments, Durant is shaping up to be this summer’s biggest prize. The package that the Suns get for him will reflect as much—and better position them to jump-start their next era, wherever it might lead them.