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The Phoenix Suns was one of the teams that Kevin Durant personally identified as a potential landing spot for him now that he's declared his desire to leave the Brooklyn Nets. This move hasn't picked up too much steam, with Phoenix seemingly unwilling to give in to Brooklyn's gargantuan asking price for Durant.
Well, NBA front office insider Bobby Marks of ESPN seems to have found a perfect trade scenario that could see the Suns landing Durant. It's not going to be simple, though, and it will also involve the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers in a blockbuster four-team, seven-player trade (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter):
Who says no to this hypothetical trade?
Nets ➡️ Donovan Mitchell, Mikal Bridges, Myles Turner
Suns ➡️ Kevin Durant
Pacers ➡️ Deandre Ayton
Jazz ➡️ Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas, 5 1st-round picks pic.twitter.com/LiSulWWcas
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 13, 2022
There's obviously so much to unpack here, but at the onset, the big winners appear to be the Suns. Phoenix will need to give up a ton of first-round picks in the deal, as well as Mikal Bridges, but what they get in return is a future Hall of Famer in Kevin Durant that will instantly propel this team as title favorites this coming season. The Suns will also need to part ways with Deandre Ayton, which appears to be inevitable at this point anyway.
For the Nets, getting Donovan Mitchell, who now appears to be available, gives them some hope to still compete for a championship in their post-Durant era. Mikal Bridges and Myles Turner are two excellent players as well, who both have All-Star potential.
For the Pacers, acquiring Ayton from the Suns represents an upgrade for their frontcourt. The Jazz, on the other hand, are able to secure their future with this deal, as they get their hands on a boatload of future draft picks. Ben Simmons — as long as he gets his head back in the game — isn't too bad of an addition as well.
