Report: Phoenix Suns getting Kevin Durant in trade with Nets
Durant #Durant
According to reports, 2013-14 NBA MVP Kevin Durant will be joining the Phoenix Suns.
According to the report, the Suns will send Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap to Brooklyn in exchange for Durant and T.J. Warren. Durant asked for a trade in the offseason, but the Nets were unable to find a trade partner.
Durant (6-10, 240) has three years and $153 million left on his contract after this season. The 34-year old was the second overall pick in the 2007 draft after playing one season at Texas. He was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, who became the Oklahoma City Thunder the following year. He spent 10 seasons with the franchises before signing with the Golden State Warriors, where he was a part of two NBA championship teams in three seasons. He joined the Nets in 2019, but didn’t play until 2020 after he finished rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon, which happened in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
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He is averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
The Suns, who introduced new owner Mat Ishbia on Wednesday, the trade signals the team is seeking a return to the NBA championship game. Phoenix reached the NBA finals in 2021 and had the best regular-season record a year ago.
The Suns began the season 15-6 before spiraling to a losing record in mid-January. Over the last month, they have improved to 30-26. All-star Devin Booker returned to the team Tuesday after missing 21 games with a left groin strain. Injuries have been hard on the team that has seen several players — Johnson, Cam Payne, Chris Paul, Booker — miss portions of the season.
Those around the NBA reacted quickly to news of the trade.
More:What’s next for new Phoenix Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia?
‘The elite NBA franchise’: New team owner Mat Ishbia’s vision for Phoenix Suns
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Reports: Phoenix Suns get superstar Kevin Durant in trade with Nets