After the Phoenix Suns trade deadline move for Kevin Durant, the NBA is officially a new world. The Kevin Durant-Suns marriage changes the balance of power in the league, and could finally bring a championship to Phoenix. With that as the ultimate stakes, we’ll make three bold Suns predictions following the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade.
The Kevin Durant trade seemingly came out of the blue while most NBA fans east of the Rockies were fast asleep. The move changed things dramatically in both conferences, making things easier for Eastern Conference squads like the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers, and much more difficult for the class of the West; the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Sacramento Kings.
We’ll get to see the new-look Suns on the court soon enough, but before that happens, let’s go ahead and make a few bold Suns predictions.
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
3. Chris Paul gets in the Way Back Machine
Chris Paul has had a star-crossed career in the NBA. He had a tough start with the relocated (due to Hurricane Katrina) New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets and missed a huge opportunity when David Stern nixed a trade to send him to the Los Angeles Lakers to play with Kobe Bryant.
Paul would then have fun-to-watch partnerships with Blake Griffin on the Los Angeles Clippers and James Harden on the Houston Rockets, but those duos could never win the big one. After a rejuvenating season where it (kind of) all started with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Paul started his final act with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton on the Phoenix Suns.
Adding Kevin Durant to this mix immediately gives Paul the best teammate he’s ever played with. And it also puts him next to a star teammate who is more accomplished than himself, which has never happened before.
Paul has seemed to sleepwalk through most of this season, likely trying to save himself for the playoffs. It makes sense, as the last two years needed with him not 100% healthy cost the Suns titles.
Adding Durant will perk Paul up, and we’ll see the CP3 we all know and love come back ASAP.
2. Injuries will make things dicey at times
Here’s the truth of the matter when it comes to the new Kevin Durant Suns. The team is built around a 37-year-old (Paul), a 34-year-old (Durant), and two twenty-somethings who have struggled with injury issues throughout their careers.
In fact, everyone but Ayton is dealing with an injury right now.
As Phoenix pursues the first championship in franchise history, it won’t be an easy path. The bold Suns prediction here (and maybe not even that bold) is that this team will deal with a lot of injuries between now and the NBA Finals.
The team now has enough talent to get through these rough patches easier with Durant now in the fold, but keep an eye on how many games the Suns play with their Big Four in the coming weeks and months.
If multiple Suns superstars go down at once in the playoffs, it could spell disaster. However, the addition of Durant to a team that was going to deal with injuries anyway is a net positive.
1. Suns win the NBA championship
The final bold Suns prediction after the Kevin Durant trade is that the 2022-23 Suns will make history by winning an NBA championship.
With the Golden State Warriors struggling and the inexperienced Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Kings at the top of the West, the Suns were going to have a shot at making the NBA Finals in 2023 anyway. Now that they added KD to the mix, those chances just grew exponentially.
And the Kevin Durant Suns’ four-man core by far outshines the talent at the top of the East. If the Suns can stay healthy in the playoffs, they should be the favorite to win the title.
And if that doesn’t convince you, consider this. NBA historian Bill Simmons has 16 players in his “pantheon” of best NBA stars of all time. Only six of them have ever been traded: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975, Wilt Chamberlin in 1964 and 1968, Oscar Robertson in 1970, Moses Malone in 1982, and Shaquille O’Neal in 2004.
Of those six players (and seven trades), five led to NBA championships. The Lakers won in 1980 after getting Kareem, the 76ers won in 1967 after getting Wilt, and the Lakers won again in 1972 with Chamberlain on the roster. The 76ers also doubled up in 1983 after getting Moses and Shaq won a ring with the Heat in 2006.
Let’s pencil in the Kevin Durant-Suns trade in 2023 as well.
Follow Us
Subscribe