Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Kevin Durant To Knicks, Julius Randle And Mitchell Robinson To Suns

One NBA analyst proposed that the New York Knicks acquire Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns. 

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade idea between the Knicks and Suns:

The trade: The Phoenix Suns trade Kevin Durant to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, the No. 24 pick, a 2025 first-round pick (top-10 protected, via WAS) and a 2028 first-round pick

Durant will make $49.9 million next season and $53.3 million in 2025-26.

The NBA legend averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists this season for the Suns while shooting 52.3% from the field, 41.3% from beyond the arc and 85.6% from the free-throw line.

“If a megastar gets moved this summer—and that’s always a massive if—Durant seems like the most realistic possibility,” Buckley wrote. “While there aren’t rumors suggesting it will happen, dealing the four-time scoring champion might be the only way for the Suns to unstick themselves from the thorny world that is the second apron. They need assets if they want to adjust this roster at all, and this type of trade might be their only means of finding them.”

The Suns went 49-33 during the regular season but were swept in the first round of the 2024 playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Meanwhile, the Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.

Since leaving the Golden State Warriors, Durant has won only two playoff series. He’s been swept twice in the first round of the postseason. 

“The Suns would still have a star at the forward spot with Randle, would gain an above-the-rim interior presence with Robinson and would fill the functional-floor-general void with McBride,” Buckley wrote. “They’d also add three first-round picks to their depleted draft stash, giving them enough flexibility to go looking for even more on the trade market. The Knicks would finally have Durant and immediately count on him to provide the offensive support Jalen Brunson often went without during their playoff run.”

One of the greatest scorers in NBA history, Durant has career averages of 27.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He’s a two-time champion and a two-time Finals MVP. 

The Suns fired Frank Vogel after one season and hired Mike Budenholzer. The franchise enters the offseason with $209 million in salary, the biggest payroll of any NBA team, and faces a projected luxury tax penalty of $116 million.