There is no doubt that the Phoenix Suns are going to be a busy franchise this summer. Quite how many deals they will be making to improve their roster remains to be seen, as they are stuck in the second apron at the moment. Trading Kevin Durant won't solve that problem, but it could be one of several moves that help the franchise have more flexibility when it comes to making deals.
The prospect of trading Devin Booker isn't a popular one with owner Mat Ishbia - but when you consider the kind of returns they could get on that trade - it does become one worth at least thinking about. But if we assume for now the Suns will re-tool around Booker, then that means going after win now players that they have a realistic shot at signing.
The first name on that list should be Luke Kornet of the Boston Celtics.
If you didn't know who the 29-year-old Kornet was prior to these playoffs starting - then after Game 5 between the Celtics and New York Knicks - you surely do now. Here is a big man that can shoot the 3-ball at a high rate, and yet chooses not to. Instead he possesses that one skill that every player wishes they had more of, no matter their talent level. He almost always makes the right decision.
As a backup big man behind both Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, Kornet has managed only 16 minutes per game in the playoffs. That is mostly because Porzingis continues to play like The Monstars stole his powers, but it is a credit to him that he has taken this opportunity and run with it. Can you imagine if this level of caring and effort had happened in The Valley this season.
Now comes the tricky part, Kornet is an unrestricted free agent (bad), who was playing on a minimum deal this season (good). There is no doubt that another team is going to come in and overpay for his services, and Kornet deserves to make as much money as possible after what we've seen from him in the playoffs so far.
Only we've seen the Suns perform miracles in the past, with the franchise somehow convincing Tyus Jones to play on a minimum last summer. To be clear, that will not be happening again. But moving Durant - and Bradley Beal if the organization gets really lucky - could free up the kind of cap space to make a real offer for Kornet.
The Suns could sell him on playing with Booker - but more importantly than that - being a starting center in the NBA, at least for a period of time. Which if we're being really honest, Kornet is still not. But the Suns have had such struggles in that department recently - as the Charlotte Hornets have now painfully discovered - that he would likely start for them initially if he went to Phoenix.
Second year big Oso Ighodaro could continue to grow and possibly take the spot from Kornet, while the Suns may also use their late first round pick on another big in the draft. The kind of heart and IQ that Kornet plays with though, is what has been badly missing in The Valley. Fans would love him immediately, and he would make a difference on both ends of the court.
He obviously couldn't stop a Nikola Jokic or even Rudy Gobert in the paint, but who can? Certainly not anybody the Suns currently have on their roster, and that shouldn't stop them pursuing Kornet either. He is the right blend of talent, excelling in his role and vibes that the Suns desperately need, and he should be a top priority this offseason, no matter how small the chance to sign him is.