It's not too common for two teams to be winners in a franchise-altering trade. Well, that can be said for the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets after trading for Kevin Durant during the offseason.
Many thought Houston won the trade by a landslide, and many thought Phoenix was beginning a rebuild. It may only be 17 games in, but both sides might've come out victorious.
Allow me to explain.
Well before Durant arrived in the Valley of the Sun, the organization was in desperate need of a culture change. Some thought the change would've come courtesy of the All-NBA forward.
However, Phoenix needed more than a player to bring back the times of old. One superstar forward was not going to be the catalyst for imminent change.
Two head coaches later, as well as an injury-riddled roster and being stuck in purgatory with the salary cap, the team decided to blow it all up.
It wasn't popular, but it had to be done. Fast forward to November, and both sides seem to be winning.
Kevin Durant is thriving with the Rockets, unlike the Suns
From a statistical perspective, Durant did well with the Suns. He even did much more than what went on in the stat sheet. He was a leader, the captain of crunch time, and truly lifted Phoenix to a multitude of wins.
Still, there wasn't something right. A trio of Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, mixed with savvy veterans and an offensive-minded head coach in Mike Budenholzer, had the recipe for success. However, midway through the year, he and Durant had a spat on the bench that both men downplayed.
Towards the trade deadline, Phoenix offered the latter in a trade to the Golden State Warriors for Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga, which was swiftly shot down. At that moment, it was the beginning of the end. But that didn't come until Durant suffered an ankle sprain, ending his season and time in Phoenix. Ironically enough, that game was against his current team.
Currently, Durant is thriving in H-Town and has the ideal complement of stars. Guys such as Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson have been leading the way.
Not to mention, Durant has taken Reed Shepard and Jabari Smith Jr. under his wing. But that's not to say that the multiple-time all-star hasn't performed to his usual level. He has a +10 rating when he's on the court. Even with the statistical averages taking a dip, he isn't being asked to score 30+ every game. Durant is being asked to be that guy when it's crunch time.
The duo of him and Sengun has been a fascinating tandem to watch. Combining that with head coach Ime Udoka's defensive philosophy, it's allowing Durant to play free and pure competitive basketball. They rank second in Net Rating(+10.3), first in offensive rating (124.1), ninth in defensive rating (113.8), and sixth in win percentage (71.4%).
Only losing four games during this stretch of the season is an accomplishment, but so is what the Suns are doing.
The Suns might've had addition by subtraction with Kevin Durant
This isn't saying that Durant was the reason for the Suns' total collapse the past two seasons. In fact, he tried to salvage it as much as he could with his play. But trading him away prompted a retooling unlike any other, as general manager Brian Gregory alluded to. And it might be safe to say that he was right.
They landed Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the draft rights to Khaman Maluach, and a slew of second-round picks. Initially, the proposal felt like a slap in the face, but Durant requested a trade to Houston, and Phoenix delivered.
What they knew before anyone else was who they would be getting back. Brooks immediately turned the team into his own, and his vision aligns with the front office, head coach Jordan Ott, and his teammates.
Plus, every team Brooks has been a part of has seen a major uptick in wins and defensive progression. It's early, but that's the case so far.
And this isn't including Jalen Green, who has been sidelined for the Suns with a lingering hamstring injury. In his first game, he showed the potential with him and Booker at the one and two. Green's athleticism and downhill ability complement Booker's savviness and basketball acumen.
Kevin Durant won't be in Phoenix until the end of the season
As reported earlier on Sunday, Durant will miss the Rockets' game against the Suns due to a personal matter within his family. The next chance the teams will square off in the desert will be in April.
By then, if both teams are continuing on their respective successful trajectories, the storyline might shift from Durant's return to how both teams are doing in any potential playoff standing.
