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Trade rumors have been swirling around Kevin Durant for several months now, and with the NBA Draft around the corner, that buzz is only growing louder. However, insider Bill Simmons shared a take about the Phoenix Suns' star that may make trading Durant a bit difficult for the organization.
In the latest episode of the “Bill Simmons Podcast,” the famed insider claims that Durant's age may play a role in trade negotiations. Durant will be 37 by the start of next season, and Simmons reflects on former superstars who played well into their late 30s and early 40s.
Simmons sort of hints at the idea that the Suns may not get the biggest package by trading Kevin Durant, as teams across the league may think that Durant won't be able to help much during the postseason. Largely due to his age.
“Year 19 of Durant, I just don’t think it's discussed enough at all this stuff. Now maybe he can keep it going for two more years, three more years but we are now at the point, LeBron [James] defied it, Karl Malone, who even if the stats say he was still pretty awesome, if you actually watch those games, post the two finals, he was at a slightly different point of his career.
“[Michael] Jordan on the [Washington] Wizards, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] near the end. Like LeBron's the only one who has defied it. And by the way, LeBron hasn't been in the Finals since 2020. When you go to these games and you see how young and athletic everybody is, there's a reason for that. It's really hard to win four rounds in a row when you're an older player.”
There's no doubt that Kevin Durant is still one of the best pure scorers in the league. Although the Suns failed to make the playoffs, the four-time scoring champion averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while owning a 52.7% field goal percentage and going 43.0% from beyond the three-point line.
That's a level of consistency any team would love to have. However, when it comes to the playoffs and winning championships, Durant hasn't seriously contended for a title since the 2019 Finals when he tore his Achilles.
We'll see how it plays out, but Simmons seems to believe the Suns won't get a huge trade package by dealing away Kevin Durant. There is speculation he could be dealt before or during the NBA Draft later in June.
