The Kevin Durant deal is something that will be judged. But not yet.
We wait. We wonder. With less than a week until the NBA Draft, Kevin Durant remains a member of the Phoenix Suns, despite being quietly shopped since the All-Star break back in February. And the longer this lingers, the more it invites reflection.
Some will say this is the natural rhythm of things. Negotiations take time. The Suns are doing their due diligence, navigating a high-stakes market to extract maximum value from a 15-time All-Star nearing the twilight of his career. There’s only so much left in the tank, only so much left to gain. And yet, what remains still holds weight, enough to spark a bidding war.
So the offers roll in. The front office weighs them, pits them against one another, searching for leverage, chasing a return that justifies the risk. It’s a strategic tug-of-war. Some days it feels like Phoenix is in control. Other days, like they’re losing ground.
No matter how this plays out, one truth remains: the Suns will be giving up the most valuable asset in the trade. From a pure basketball standpoint, Kevin Durant is better than anything they’ll get in return. What Phoenix is chasing isn’t a better player; it’s financial flexibility and a foundation for the future. That’s what makes this deal appealing from the franchise’s perspective.
But as we sit back and wonder how these conversations are unfolding behind the scenes, it’s hard not to question whether having a first-time general manager at the helm is a disadvantage. Brian Gregory hasn’t made a move yet, which means there’s little to judge him on. And maybe that’s exactly where the concern begins: because nothing has happened.
Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
Is the holdup a result of inexperience? Is Gregory overplaying his hand? Does he truly understand how to navigate a negotiation of this magnitude? We don’t know. Not yet. But once the trade finally goes down, we’ll start to get answers. And no matter what comes back in return, a portion of the fan base is bound to feel let down.
The reality is, not everything coming back will be a fit. There will be salary cap filler. There may not be as many draft picks as some are hoping for. And once the dust settles, the question becomes: will fans view the trade as a misstep, a rookie GM getting fleeced? Or will they recognize it as the best return the Suns could realistically hope for, one that simply reflects Durant’s value at this stage in his career?
These are the thoughts of someone, like you, stuck in the waiting game. Someone who’s refreshed the rumor mill one too many times this week and grown tired of the noise. The deal will happen. Then the scrutiny begins. Because it has to.
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