The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks' acquisitions of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving stole headlines during the NBA Trade Deadline. Phoenix and Dallas are now serious contenders in the Western Conference. Former player and current analyst Kenny Smith broke down the moves.

“It's great when you have great players move,” Smith said during a recent pre-Super Bowl party. “It's new energy in new areas around the country. It was in Brooklyn now that energy is here (Phoenix). Energy is in Dallas now. It's always great for basketball.”

Smith also revealed if either the Suns or Mavs can win the NBA Finals as a result of the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving moves. He later shared which team he believes is the Western Conference favorite as well.

“They (Suns, Mavs) can win the Finals, but they're not the favorite. Denver is the favorite in the West.”

As Smith stated, the Suns and Mavs can certainly win the NBA Finals. However, the Denver Nuggets have enjoyed a remarkable campaign up to this point. Nikola Jokic is the unquestioned star, but Dallas' depth makes them an all-around intimidating presence.

Nevertheless, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will add a new element of competition to the conference. Both players are more than capable of changing franchises and leading teams to deep playoff runs. The Durant-Devin Booker and Irving-Luka Doncic duos will be tough to go up against.

But Kenny Smith is still confident in the Nuggets, a team that currently leads the Western Conference by a fairly comfortable amount of games.