After weeks of drama, the Phoenix Suns officially moved from the Kevin Durant Trade Saga.
The struggling Phoenix Suns traded double NBA champion Kevin Durant for second-seeded Houston Rocket.
There is a mix of responses to trade, but it is clear that work is not finished for the sun. Ultimately, the way to say goodbye to KD was step one of rebuilding the team’s core.
The same day Durant was traded for the Rockets, his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, won his first NBA Championship.
Shy Gilgauss Alexander has run a historic campaign that will lead the lightning to its 2025 title. But don’t forget that Thunder landed Gilgauss Alexander in a trade with the LA Clippers.
With that in mind, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps has urged the Suns to follow a similar route and build a Championship Caliber roster over the next few years.
“We’re sitting here talking about the final lightning. The deal that set up everything that’s going on in Oklahoma City was Paul George’s trade with the Clippers.
“What did the Thunder do after Paul George’s trade? They took that deal and continued trading more,” Bontemppus told the Hoop Collective Podcast.
He added: “A few weeks later, they were like 15 trades. They had a full load of stuff and that started the road back to where they were.
“Now, obviously, they started with something that the Sun trades more than they’ll get out of this deal.”
Paul George was younger than KD when Thunder swapped him. Still, we needed some great plans from OKC GM Sam Presti. But will the Sands even try that?
Aside from the Bradley Beal situation, the Suns can realistically move any player to a roster that is not named Devin Booker.
With that in mind, Bontemps has laid the Suns path in the potential quest to pursue Thunder’s blueprint into the NBA Championship.
“I’m going to try and rerout Dillon Brooks for things. I’m trying to rerout Jalen Green for things. I’m trying to try that process because I have something to build around Devin Booker,” ESPN analyst continued.
“Grayson Allen has a bad deal. I don’t think they have anything for him. Lois Onelle is a guy who can change things. This is what the Sun has to do. They have to start digging,” he concluded.
With the 2025 NBA Finals over, it will be interesting to see if the Suns will act on this advice towards the offseason.