The Phoenix Suns are set to make some hard decisions this off-season, but one of the biggest moves they could make is not a desirable one.
According to a report from ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, the Suns don’t want to trade star forward Kevin Durant. The report indicates that the Suns want to keep Durant, but there are other factors preventing a potential reunion.
“Do the Suns want to trade Kevin Durant this summer? No, not really. But the reality is that the Suns’ pathways of getting out of the second apronâto ensure they have flexibilityâall seem to lead to Durant.”
The Suns are in a situation where they’re going to be forced into tough decisions. The second apron is a part of the CBA that when hard capped by this designation, prevents adding extra players in traded unless it helps get them under the cap, it freezes future first round picks, and pushes them to the end of the lottery regardless of record. With the Suns’ having little to no moveable first round picks of their own currently, this would make trading someone their only option, but the Suns aren’t taking anything less than a haul in return.
“One of the reasons there wasn’t a Durant trade in February — other than Durant himself making it clear he didn’t want one — is the Suns were looking for a massive haul in return, per sources.”
The Suns are not in an enviable position. The team is hard capped, and their best player may be the one leaving. Though both sides are interested in a return, the Suns are not a playoff team, and they have no route to improve. Trading Durant would be a major step back, but could be beneficial in the long run.
The Phoenix Suns don’t want to trade star forward Kevin Durant, but they may not have a choice.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Suns Don’t Want KD Trade appeared first on Heavy Sports.