Kevin Durant finally got his wish.
The disgruntled superstar forward of the Brooklyn Nets, who demanded a trade out of town during the summer but was not granted his wish, was suddenly and shockingly shipped off to the Phoenix Suns early Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023.
Durant’s move represents the latest of the blockbuster trades that began on Wednesday. The news sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the National Basketball Association, and it radially shifts the balance of power in the Western Conference.
By aligning Durant with current Phoenix superstars Chris Paul and Devin Booker, along with the rising star in center Deandre Ayton, the Suns are suddenly the favorites to make it to the NBA Finals out of the West.
To summarize the deal: Durant and TJ Warren are leaving the Nets and are going to the Suns. In exchange, the Suns are sending the Nets rising star Mikal Bridges along with Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round draft picks, and a 2028 pick swap. The unprotected picks are in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Meanwhile, The Bleacher Report claimed that the trade represented a mutual divorce between Durant and the Nets due to irreconcilable differences.
It was a collaborative effort by the camp of Kevin Durant and Brooklyn Nets to find the right situation, sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. Both sides were committed to pursuing that objective and part ways on good terms.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 9, 2023
The mind-boggling overnight deal represents the near-complete implosion of the Brooklyn Nets who saw three marquee stars and future Hall of Famers — Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden — demand trades away from the franchise in less than a year, something that is widely considered unprecedented.
The deal also took the Suns’ Bridges was blindsided by being shipped to the Nets without prior notice.
Omygod lol
— Mikal Bridges (@mikal_bridges) February 9, 2023
