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The Phoenix Suns season is officially over after Wednesday's loss, but the Kevin Durant saga will begin. After the franchise attempted to trade him at the trade deadline, it left a sour taste in his mouth.
While Durant has one more year left on his contract, likely, he wouldn't want to play with the Suns again. On ESPN's First Take, Brian Windhorst explained that the franchise trading Durant will be more complicated than it appears.
“What Durant is going to want is he’s going to want to say here are my three teams, and I’m going to go to that team with my understanding of I’m going to pick them, and then I’m going to get there and say I’m prepared to sign my two year $120 million extension and I’m all set up for three years $180 million,” Windhorst said.
“That doesn’t work in the modern NBA. If you are a good team that wants Kevin Durant, you may not be able to afford to bring him in at that kind of salary.”
As Windhorst mentioned, signing him for $180 million is a risky move. He is 37 and dealt with two lower leg injuries this season. Both of which cost him a good amount of time, as well as the All-NBA team.
Brian Windhorst sees the Suns having issues with trading Kevin Durant
With the first and second tax aprons being introduced, it makes matters more interesting. Teams that would trade for Durant could put themselves in either the first or second tax apron.
If that is the case, then there are a barrage of consequences. Draft picks can be removed, teams cannot aggregate contracts in a trade, as well as not using mid-level exceptions, and plenty more.
As a result, Windhorst sees Durant's trade being used as something different.
“Kevin Durant might get used as an expiring contract,” Windhorst said. “What I mean by that is he’s making $55 million next year and a team may take him understanding that he’s a rental or a team might take him to dump salary somewhere.
“That’s not a commentary on Kevin Durant as a player. That’s not a commentary on what he can be on a team, that’s a commentary on what it means to trade a player who makes $55 million, who wants a contract extension in an apron era.”
Windhorst's comments aren't an indictment on Durant at all. It is a fact that the NBA is in the tax-apron era, where teams have to be careful, or at least certain with a big-time decision they make.
