So here we are again — Kevin Durant, regular-season flameout in the rearview, summer speculation ramping up, and another head coach likely walking into a buzzsaw with no paddle.
And if you’ve been paying attention, it doesn’t take an “NBA Insider” to see where this is headed.
Durant is going to be traded. Probably sooner than you think.
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that “if the Suns can find a coach… that is largely respected by the players in the league, there can be a possibility in which Durant is still a member of the Suns.”
That’s like saying “unless your team suddenly becomes good and drama-free,” your superstar won’t bolt.” The Suns are about to hire their fourth coach in four years. If anything, Durant should get frequent flyer miles for the number of systems he’s had to adjust to.
Let’s be real: Phoenix is no longer a place where stars go to win. It’s where they go to wear down and wonder what happened. Devin Booker’s doing his best, but Bradley Beal is untradeable, and the roster around them is paper thin.
Oh, and they don’t really have a starting-caliber point guard. Or depth. Or flexibility. Other than that, everything’s fine.
A new coach isn’t going to convince Durant to spend what could be his final elite year in a front-row seat to dysfunction. He wants to win. He wants to be paid. He wants stability. Phoenix offers none of that.
The market? Oh, there will be one.
The Heat would take him in a heartbeat — Pat Riley loves aging stars who can still drop 30. The Rockets have picks, youth, and a hunger to fast-track the rebuild.
The Timberwolves? Don’t sleep on them. Durant next to Anthony Edwards would be scary. And the Spurs? That’s where dreams of offense and structure go to thrive. Victor Wembanyama and KD? Not out of the question.
Durant has one year, $54.7 million left, and zero patience for more chaos. He’ll want to win now and cash in next. That team isn’t the Suns.
Buy or Sell? Sell the coaching change hype. Durant is gone.
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