Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were both traded ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline. Irving demanded a trade and was ultimately dealt to the Dallas Mavericks. Durant's message to the Brooklyn Nets and request were revealed following the Irving situation, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst.

Their ESPN article reported that KD made a simple request as compared to Irving's trade demand. Notably, KD specifically requested to be dealt to the Phoenix Suns. Had a trade with Phoenix failed to come to fruition, Durant reportedly would have been open to staying in Brooklyn with the Nets. In the end, Brooklyn and Phoenix agreed upon a deal and Kevin Durant ended up joining Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton on the Suns.

Although, Windhorst and Shelburne reported that both Durant and the Nets knew their time together was coming to an end. Durant likely would have found a new home next year even if he'd remained with Brooklyn to finish the 2022-2023 campaign.

KD is dealing with an injury. He previously impressed for the Nets prior to suffering his ailment, and was firmly in the MVP conversation. Durant is averaging just shy of 30 points per game to go along with seven rebounds and five assists per contest. The Suns' Devin Booker-Kevin Durant duo will be amongst the best in basketball. Chris Paul's veteran leadership from the point guard position and Deandre Ayton's prowess in the post will help matters as well.

Durant is in a tremendous position to earn another championship and improve his impressive resume.