The Phoenix Suns might be struggling to make the play-in tournament right now, but there is no doubting that Kevin Durant has been fantastic across the last few weeks. He was the engine that powered a four-game winning streak before it was emphatically snapped by the Boston Celtics, and prior to that was one of the best things about watching this team play.
Already the focus has shifted towards what the organization might do with the 36-year-old this summer, although that is a situation they created themselves. The Suns seemingly open to moving Durant to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline to try and acquire Jimmy Butler. A deal that apparently didn't happen only because Durant didn't want it to.
The latest Durant trade rumor proves it will be a long offseason.
You need to keep in mind that it being March, we've hit a point in the season before the playoffs get underway in which content is low, and people saying things for the sake of it is high. Durant of course is no stranger to this, and even prior to the Suns seemingly being open to trading him his name was being put in all sorts of ridiculous mock trades.
But even before the Celtics came into Footprint Center Wednesday and handed the Suns a 30 point loss without Jayson Tatum, several outlets had brought up the possibility of Durant heading to "Beantown" this summer. Crazy, right? It is - although if we try and play it out here to see if there's any way at all this can happen - there might be a couple of scenarios that lead to this unexpected ending.
From the side of the Suns it is simple, they need to do something this offseason. They rightly won't move Devin Booker, while Bradley Beal has a no-trade clause. This is the reason Durant's name came up at the deadline in the first place, because he is the odd man out if sweeping changes are to happen in The Valley. With a play-in spot not even secured yet, they kind of have to this summer.
For the Celtics - the defending champions don't forget - this likely hinges on how their playoff experience goes. The way to make a deal work is to trade Durant for Jaylen Brown essentially straight up, although the optics of swapping out the current Finals MVP for a guy who is closer to 40 than 30 doesn't look great. Durant is a special case though, and the last few weeks may have been crucial.
In that time Durant has improved his own stock throughout the league, by showing on the court that he can carry an underperforming team on his back and lead them to wins. They shouldn't be in that position in the first place - and Durant has some blame to take for that - but that's the part of the equation the Suns would rather you didn't dwell on.
Durant will also be entering the last year of his current deal next season - and although he's obviously going to want a bag to play elsewhere - this could be an opportunity for the Celtics to remake the top of their roster on the fly. Again that's assuming they don't make the NBA Finals this season, because if they do then there truly is nothing to fix.
Brown is a fantastic player - imagine pairing him up defensively alongside Booker - and he rightly gives superstars such as Luka Doncic fits when they match up with one another. Offensively however he can be limited, while the potential to add Durant to all the depth in Boston - plus the superstar talents of Tatum - might be too good an opportunity to pass up.
If it doesn't work out the Celtics can always move on from Durant and try and sign another high calibre player in free agency, although that is obviously a huge and unlikely risk. Don't forget about new owner syndrome as well, something the Suns familiar with thanks to Mat Ishbia. An unlikely series of events would have to happen, but this could actually work for both sides.