The Phoenix Suns experienced a wild and chaotic 48 hours leading up to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
Initially considered favorites to land disgruntled All-Star Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat, that deal collapsed due to multiple complications.
The Suns couldn’t move Bradley Beal and his remaining three years, $160 million contract, largely due to his no-trade clause.
Then came the shocking report: the Golden State Warriors were in talks with the Suns to bring Kevin Durant back to the Bay Area, where he had won two NBA championships.
The news stunned the NBA world, as Durant’s name hadn’t previously surfaced in trade discussions. Now, the Suns are acknowledging they should have handled the situation with the future Hall of Famer differently.
Kevin Durant reveals he was ‘blindsided’ by Phoenix Suns
ESPN NBA insiders Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst surprisingly revealed that the Suns never informed Durant or his agent, Rich Kleiman, about the trade talks. Both Durant and Kleiman learned about the potential trade through other sources, leaving the superstar “blindsided.”
“We should’ve gone through [Durant’s business partner, Rich Kleiman],” a team source told ESPN.
Durant ultimately rejected the idea of returning to Golden State. When Beal proved unmovable and the Suns remained interested in Butler, the team explored sending Durant to Miami instead.
That deal also failed to materialize, and Butler eventually landed in Golden State, forming a new Big 3 with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Now the Suns face the challenge of repairing their relationship with a generational superstar.
“And to make matters worse, they have a mess to clean up with Durant, who wanted to stay in Phoenix and make it work, but instead saw his name in trade rumors,” Shelburne and Windhorst reported.
With one year remaining on Durant’s contract, his long-term future in Phoenix remains uncertain heading into the offseason.
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