KEVIN DURANT TRADED TO SUNS

[Flagrant Fowl]

[Vladimir_Taltos]

Hope Bazley and Warren can play against the Kings tomorrow. That way TJ can get injured before KD even has his press conference.

Stop that! He may get injured during his own press conference.

Mori...FFS

[Shabazz]

One thing I really hope this trade ends is the all-bench lineups.

[JeremyG]

We gave a pick away to get rid of TJ

Then we sent 5 picks over to acquire him

Include the pick we used to draft him


TJ has cost us 7 picks

You forgot the pick we used on Cam and the 2 picks we used on Mikal.

So that's 10 picks.

[JeremyG]

He’s also been incredible defensively this year…I think he was a top 2 MVP candidate when he got hurt.

I really think this season may be our only real chance to win a title. Durant, even if healthy, may not be near that level next year. And who knows what's going to happen with CP3.

[Split T]

Hard to say on Durant, nobody thought he’d still be at this level at this point either. CP3 is a big question mark but we’ll also have an offseason to construct the team how we want around Booker/KD. We won’t have a ton of resources to do that, but we’ll have some. I’d be pretty surprised if we aren’t still a contender next year.

[INFORMER]

I’ve talked about it before, luck is such an overlooked part of winning it all. The 72-win Warriors didn’t win the title.

I mean that team lost to the all-time scoring leader in his prime, and because Draymond can't control himself. Chance can absolutely play a factor for better and for worse, but basketball skill usually plays the most important role.

[JeremyG]

KD is shooting 56% from the floor while creating most of the shots himself, that's wild.

It's his career high--and it's 2.2% higher than his previous high!

[Flagrant Fowl]

I’ve talked about it before, luck is such an overlooked part of winning it all. The 72-win Warriors didn’t win the title.

I mean that team lost to the all-time scoring leader in his prime, and because Draymond can't control himself. Chance can absolutely play a factor for better and for worse, but basketball skill usually plays the most important role.

It wasn't my intention to imply otherwise. I'm just getting in front of the doomers who will call this trade a failure if some random stroke of bad luck prevents the Suns from winning a title.

[INFORMER]

INF will love this: Actually, the Kevin Durant trade is the worst in Arizona sports history

I’ll show you my qualifications: Fifty years of suffering. Fifty years of watching Arizona arenas become the Leisure World for aging superstars.

We have done this so many times before it has become almost seasonal, the thing we do along with Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We roast the turkey, we hang the mistletoe and we sign a beyond-his-prime sports legend to ride his last big contract into the sunset.

Nah, nothing that novel. He is just stating the obvious. And I am not an Arizona sports guy, so couldn't care less about the D'backs or Cardinals. I think it is a bad move, but they are getting someone who right now can be discussed and possibly the best player in the league. So it's hard to call that "the worst ever." I just hate it because it is needlessly reckless.

[INFORMER]

One thing I really hope this trade ends is the all-bench lineups.

I'll channel my inner-JeremyG and predict that Monty will still find a way to have CP3, Ayton, Book, and Durant all on the bench at the same time at some point in a competitive game when all four of them are healthy.

[Split T]

As long as he doesn’t do it in the playoffs I don’t mind

[JeremyG]

Oh I expect him to do it right away and with regularity. He loves the all-bench lineups.

Just hopefully not in the playoffs.

[INFORMER]

The Nets have almost come full circle from their pre KD-Kyrie days. Now they have a solid youngish team that's smart and plays hard, well coached and well balanced with no egos. Kinda similar to their 2018 team.

That is such a good point. I remember really liking the group they put together and being impressed with Kenny Atkinson. Then they went all-in chasing the stars and all of a sudden Atkinson wasn't good enough and the team was deficient.

[Flagrant Fowl]

They were a good, fun team. But let’s be real, they weren’t winning a title with that roster. Maybe they could’ve pushed for it by adding one star, but the opportunity was bringing in two or none at all. I can’t criticize them for taking the chance.

The Harden trade was the one that I think was dumb.

[Superbone]

They were a good, fun team. But let’s be real, they weren’t winning a title with that roster. Maybe they could’ve pushed for it by adding one star, but the opportunity was bringing in two or none at all. I can’t criticize them for taking the chance.

Sounds very similar to our own team.

[INFORMER]

They were a good, fun team. But let’s be real, they weren’t winning a title with that roster. Maybe they could’ve pushed for it by adding one star, but the opportunity was bringing in two or none at all. I can’t criticize them for taking the chance.

I can. They weren't stuck. They could have just kept building. I get you need a star(s), but the Daryl Morey let's just blow everything up chasing stars just isn't the way to go. Brooklyn has done it twice and it us ugly both times. I think you lose every time you prioritize a star over an entire team/organization, especially when you already have something good.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Good doesn’t win titles.

[INFORMER]

Never said it did. The key is finding the balance of how much of that good are you willing to give up in attempt to get better.

[Superbone]

They were a good, fun team. But let’s be real, they weren’t winning a title with that roster. Maybe they could’ve pushed for it by adding one star, but the opportunity was bringing in two or none at all. I can’t criticize them for taking the chance.

I can. They weren't stuck. They could have just kept building. I get you need a star(s), but the Daryl Morey let's just blow everything up chasing stars just isn't the way to go. Brooklyn has done it twice and it us ugly both times. I think you lose every time you prioritize a star over an entire team/organization, especially when you already have something good.

We will see in the next couple years.