Kevin Durant will enter the final year of his four-year $194 million deal in the summer. The Phoenix Suns are reportedly expected to explore trade options for their star player. Moving on from Durant is the only way they can recoup some future assets. The Suns’ ‘Big Three’ experiment has failed.
During a recent of his ‘7PM in Brooklyn’ podcast, Carmelo Anthony highlighted the Washington Wizards as a logical landing spot for Durant.
“KD to the Wizards, I would like to see him in the Wizards,” Anthony said. “End it back home. You ain’t gon’ go chase, you ain’t gon’ go with these other teams that’s out there. You already got your rings, go to the Wizards, bring the energy back to DC. … Your family, your mom, friends there, go rekindle that fire back out there in DC.”
Anthony continued.
“And they got pieces now, the Wizards. Marcus Smart, Khris Middleton, Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington. … You got vets on your team now. Man trade all that s**t, bring KD home. It ain’t like we gon’ be nice over the next three years, let KD bring the energy back.”
Anthony has a point. Durant has nothing left to prove. He would likely thrive playing in front of his hometown crowd. However, adding Durant would be a significant change of direction for a rebuilding Wizards team. Furthermore, the Wizards would need to part with a string of players and draft picks in order to entice the Suns into making the deal.
Durant’s Future With The Suns in Doubt
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who was speaking on a Feb. 26 episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, Durant and the Suns are both aware his time with the franchise will end in the summer.
“They’re gonna trade him and he knows that,” Windhorst said. “…There have been a couple of opportunities where he could have criticized them for trying to trade him. He has not done that, he has been very professional throughout all that…I think he’s handled this very appropriately…KD is setting himself up for his last act. I think everybody’s intentions are crystal clear here.”
Should the Suns make Durant available, they will likely be dealing with a bidding war. However, if the Wizards decided to get in on the negotiations, they would have plenty of enticing assets to potentially acquire one of the best scorers in the NBA.
Durant Knows He Will Cost A Lot In A Trade
During a recent appearance on ‘The Draymond Green Show’ podcast, Durant told Draymond Green and Baron Davis that he understands he will cost a team a significant amount of assets in a trade. As such, Durant admitted that he didn’t want to be traded midway through the season.
“A player like me, I cost a lot,” Durant said.” “Me going into your team in the middle of the season is going to be a big blow to any team I’m going to. …
“I want my career to end on my terms. That’s the only thing I’m worried about because I see a lot of dudes who don’t get that opportunity, so I want to keep putting in that work to make that choice on my own.”
Durant’s comments shed some light on why he declined to join the Golden State Warriors ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. However, if a team is willing to meet his high asking price, Durant could be part of a blockbuster deal during the upcoming offseason.
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