Kevin Durant has yet to make his debut for the Phoenix Suns following his NBA trade deadline blockbuster move. However, the buzz surrounding this team is as strong as ever as a new-look Phoenix side looks to compete for the title again this season.

Former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo is buying in on all the hype. He too is excited about what's ahead for Phoenix as he sees shades of the Charles Barkley era in this current iteration of the Suns:

“It's similar to when Barkley came back in 1992/93. He was our first superstar. I think with Durant, the timing is perfect for him, it's perfect for the franchise,” Colangelo said in a recent interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio (h/t Nico Martinez of Fadeaway World). “If he's healthy and he can play extensive minutes with the rest of this group, this franchise has a chance as the season winds down getting into the playoffs, to make a real push and a real run.”

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Charles Barkley is widely considered one of the greatest players in Suns franchise history, and this team found a lot of success under his reign in the mid-90s. His tenure might have been short-lived, but it's no surprise that Barkley is one of the most celebrated players in the history of this team.

The Suns never won a title with Barkley at the helm, though. In fact, this team has yet to win a championship since it was founded in 1968. Phoenix supporters are now hoping that this will all change this year now that they've gone all-in on Kevin Durant. They gave up quite a haul to bring KD's talents to Phoenix, and there's no denying that both the organization and the fans will be looking to get some immediate return on their investment.