The Phoenix Suns have officially put an end to the Kevin Durant era out in The Valley, as ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania broke news on Sunday morning that the franchise has traded the future Hall of Famer to the Rockets.
In exchange, Houston is shipping Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in this year's draft, and five total second-round picks out to Arizona.
Now, while this return package is by no means insulting, as they're bringing aboard a 22-year-old rising star guard who just dropped 21.0 points per game for the second-seeded Rockets and have a shot at a top-billed prospect in next week's NBA Draft, when considering what they initially gave up to attain Durant's services in the first place, it's hard not to feel like the Suns were ultimately fleeced.
Phoenix Suns have officially been fleeced thanks to Kevin Durant era
Less than two years after making it to their first NBA Finals since 1993, midway through the 2022-23 campaign, the Suns opted to go all-in on a title push by striking a deal with the Brooklyn Nets for Durant.
As part of the trade, Phoenix agreed to part ways with a lucrative package headlined by Mikal Bridges and five total first-round draft rights, four of which were unprotected.
Right away, the unanimous reaction among both fans and pundits was that GM James Jones gave up a king's ransom for the forward, though ultimately, if he brought them that long-coveted Larry O'Brien Trophy, it would all be worth it.
Unfortunately, since the blockbuster's execution, all the Suns have had to show for their daringness are two early-round playoff exits, a mere 36-win, postseason-less finish in 2024-25, and a league-leading payroll.
Their decision to make the KD trade has only found itself looking worse and worse as time has gone by, as even the lone benefit of missing the playoffs in the acquisition of a lottery pick was taken away from them this year -- ironically, those rights are owned by the Rockets via their own deal with Brooklyn.
By making this move with Houston, the Suns have lost Bridges, Cameron Johnson, the number nine pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and, now, Kevin Durant.
On top of this, they are still on the hook for coughing up their first-rounder in 2027 and 2029, plus a first-round pick swap in 2028 and then two seconds.
Add in the fact that they couldn't even find a way to get any of their own picks back from Houston in Sunday's agreement -- something they've been wanting to do for quite some time -- and it only further solidifies that the Brooklyn Nets absolutely and unequivocally fleeced the Phoenix Suns with their original transaction.