The Phoenix Suns have become one of the most heavily scrutinized organizations in the NBA. Mat Ishbia made ambitious promises he struggled to deliver on in 2024-25, with the Suns devolving from a team the Association should fear into a 36-win pretender on pace to lose Kevin Durant.
For as maligned as the organization has been, Phoenix is quietly playing its hand to perfection in regard to Durant and his trade prospects.
Durant's desire to be traded became the worst-kept secret in the NBA before the playoffs could gain momentum. In many regards, it backed the Suns into a corner as their leverage was lost due to the widespread knowledge that he wanted out.
To make matters worse, Durant fell in the trade-priority pecking order when it was revealed that Giannis Antetokounmpo would consider requesting a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks.
That could've spelled disaster for Phoenix, but instead, it's become a footnote in their journey. The Suns waited out the talks of inevitable disappointment, allowed Antetokounmpo to have his moment in the spotlight, and then reemerged with a long list of interested suitors in Durant.
Phoenix still needs to put the finishing touches on an actual trade, but up to this point, they've done an excellent job of navigating challenging terrain with Durant.
Suns remaining patient, playing the market perfectly with Kevin Durant
Shams Charania of ESPN reported on June 11 that the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs were interested in trading for Durant. Charania also noted that "several" other teams had reached out to the Suns in recent weeks.
It's since been reported that the Suns are hoping to land a 2025 first-round draft pick in the Durant trade, which seemingly revealed a soft deadline of June 25.
The Heat, Rockets, Spurs, and Timberwolves continue to appear in trade rumors roughly a week later. That appears to be the core four teams as far as the favorites to land Durant are concerned. The hurdle at the moment is that Durant doesn't want to play for Minnesota.
Rather than allowing that development to limit their options, however, the Suns are exploring how viable the Timberwolves may still be as a trade partner.
Per Sam Amick and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic:
"With the offers from the Spurs, Rockets and Heat coming up short to this point, league sources say the Suns are still hopeful that Durant might warm to the Timberwolves possibility."
At a time when panic could easily be setting in, Phoenix continues to handle the Durant trade negotiations with a calm and poised demeanor.
Suns continue to explore all options, resisting a panicked response
The only way to put the ideal finishing touches on this process will be to flip Durant for a package that pushes the Suns in the right direction. Many have theories about what that could entail, but the bottom line is that any strategy will be constructed in support of Devin Booker.
Thankfully, Phoenix has seemingly narrowed down its list of potential suitors to four teams that can provide it with an opportunity to both build for the future and help Booker compete now.
Houston and San Antonio have a surplus of promising young players and draft picks to include in a potential trade for Durant. Miami and Minnesota, meanwhile, are flush with high-level role players and may even part with a proven commodity on a bigger contract.
If the Suns pull one of these trades off, and find a way to shed one of their less favorable salaries in the process, a currently excellent display of patience and poise would send the franchise hurling toward a significantly brighter future.
It'll be far easier said than done, but the fact that Phoenix has averted disaster up to this point deserves to be applauded.