It feels like it was forever ago when the Phoenix Suns traded Kevin Durant to the Rockets, but the players involved in that historic NBA deal are still over a month away from making their official debuts with their new teams. Durant could be well on his way to winning his third NBA championship, while the Suns are banking on Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Khaman Maluach.
Phoenix could've gotten more in return for Durant, even if he will turn 37 later this month. What's done is done, though. The Suns hope that Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft, will turn into the star the Rockets thought he'd be. Everyone already knows what kind of player Brooks is. As for Maluach, he's not NBA-ready, but he could eventually be the starting center.
It's hard to know what Phoenix will look like next season, but one thing's for sure — the Suns aren't a contender. They're not close to being a contender. Trading Durant wasn't a surrender to a rebuild, but rather a means to provide financial relief and send KD to a team built to win a title.
Phoenix can't enter tanking mode because it got rid of its future first-round picks, which is why the Suns are banking on Green's upside.
Durant trade already isn't aging well and the season hasn't even started
Sending Durant to Houston wasn't an issue, but the only draft capital the Suns received was the No. 10 pick in this year's draft. If Green shows he's more fit to be a role player than a star, the trade will become even more of a loss for Phoenix.
Green's first four seasons in Houston were a roller coaster ride, and it ended on a down note. During Houston's first-round playoff exit this past season, he exploded for 38 points in Game 2, but Green followed that up by averaging 12 points per game in the next four contests. Consistency and efficiency are two areas where he has struggled.
Seeing how he handles his duties next season as the presumed Suns' starting point guard will be the beginning of a make-or-break period in Phoenix. He's coming off a season where he averaged a career-high 3.4 assists per game, but still. He's not the playmaker that Devin Booker is, but maybe Phoenix doesn't want to overburden Book. Perhaps the Green PG experiment won't last.
There are a whole lot of "how will this work out?" questions circling for the Suns, with Green being the biggest.
Typically, star trades are riskier for the team that acquires the star than for the team that traded the star. In this case, the Suns are in a far riskier position. The Rockets didn't give up much to receive one of the best players in league history. Houston's need for another creator was exposed in the playoffs, and the front office responded by getting Durant.
If this trade ages the way it seems to be headed, it won't end well for Phoenix.