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The Brooklyn Nets ultimately made the decision to deal Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns, but general manager Sean Marks was still considering bolstering its roster around the superstar up until the last minute, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
“The Nets pursued OG Anunoby in Toronto, and they discussed possible deals for (John) Collins and Cleveland's Caris LeVert, but Durant's mood was unsettled and Brooklyn knew it had to push Phoenix to make the kind of offer it couldn't refuse,” Wojnarowski wrote in an article for ESPN.
The Suns received Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren, while the Nets received Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap. The Nets and Sean Marks demanded Mikal Bridges in the deal, and Suns owner Mat Ishbia was hesitant to include him, but ultimately did, according to Wojnarowski.
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“Ishbia's initial hope was to keep Bridges out of the trade, but that was a nonstarter for the Nets,” Wojnarowski wrote. “The Suns' offers weren't close to the Nets' asking price on Monday and Tuesday, and Marks kept working on possible trades to bolster the roster around Durant.”
The Suns were considering other deals as well, with a three-way trade that would have sent John Collins to Phoenix on the table. Mat Ishbia circled back to make another run at Durant, and the deal ultimately went through.
Ishbia had just taken over the Suns and gave his introductory press conference on Wednesday. He did not wait long to make a splash, with the help of his general manager James Jones.
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, the Nets hope to kick off another rebuild, and have seven first-round picks from offloading James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant over the last two seasons.
