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Kevin Durant, after much suspense, has reportedly joined the Phoenix Suns. The Brooklyn Nets have traded KD along with T.J. Warren to Phoenix for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and a pick swap.
Durant, when he demanded a trade in the off-season, named the Suns as one of his preferred destinations. The Nets played hardball, which left KD with no choice but to start the first season of a four-year deal in Brooklyn.
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Kyrie Irving's trade to the Dallas Mavericks ultimately pushed the Brooklyn Nets to rebuild. They looked like a legitimate playoff team, but must have realized they were not good enough for a championship run without Irving.
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Winners of the Kevin Durant trade
Kevin Durant still has three years left on his contract after this season. He will form a deadly quartet alongside Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker. KD will turn the Phoenix Suns into legitimate title contenders.
In the playoffs last season, the Dallas Mavericks exposed the Suns' over-reliance on Devin Booker to get buckets. Chris Paul may still be the savviest playmaker around, but he has lost a step when it comes to producing points. .
"CP3" is down to 13.6 points per game, the lowest in his entire career. Bringing in Kevin Durant more than makes up for that deficiency.
Following the Robert Sarver scandal, it looked like the Phoenix Suns were going to struggle. They looked disengaged at the start of the season and seemed a step slower compared to their rivals.
If KD does not give them a jolt of energy, nothing will probably will.
Monty Williams' squad is quite thin on the wings following the trade, but Kevin Durant is well worth the risk. Torrey Craig, TJ Warren, Josh Okogie and Landry Shamet will be given more opportunities to excel.
The Phoenix Suns are the clear winners of this trade.
KD himself should come out a winner
In the end, Kevin Durant got what he wanted. Joe Tsai didn't want to accommodate him in the offseason, but he ultimately forced his way out of the Brooklyn Nets.
KD is only a few months into his four-year deal but didn't want to end it in Brooklyn. He is still getting paid but will now play for a team he preferred to be traded to in the offseason.
Durant has also replaced Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton and Joe Harris for Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. He, too, is a winner with this trade.
The Brooklyn Nets are the losers in this trade
It's hard not to point fingers at the Brooklyn Nets as the losers of this trade. They had Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for roughly 3 1/2 seasons. The Nets have won only one playoff series during their tenure in Brooklyn.
It's not unfair to call them one of the biggest failures in NBA history.
It was also more than just Durant and Irving. At one point, they had former MVP James Harden and then Ben Simmons. "The Beard" pushed his way out while Simmons reportedly couldn't even be traded as his value has significantly dropped.
The Brooklyn Nets exchanged Kyrie Irving for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and draft picks. They moved Kevin Durant for the aforementioned package. Brooklyn went overnight from title favorite to a rebuilding job.
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