Jalen Green‘s future in Phoenix raised immediate questions after the Phoenix Suns acquired the former No. 2 pick as part of the Kevin Durant return package.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports, who foreshadowed the Durant trade a few hours before ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news, revealed what is in store for the 23-year-old rising star.
“The Suns do not plan to trade Jalen Green,” Gambadoro reported on X following the trade. “He is expected to play alongside Devin Booker in the backcourt.”
The Suns received Green, along with Dillon Brooks, this year’s No. 10 pick and five second-round picks for Durant.
Suns Did Background Check on Jalen Green
Getty Kevin Durant and Jalen Green swap places in a blockbuster trade between the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets.
Questions surrounding Green’s future in Phoenix came about after multiple reports pointed to the Suns exploring his trade market leading up to the deal.
The Suns did their due diligence on Green, according to Michael Scotto of Hoopshype.
“Phoenix has done background on Green to gauge his value around the league in case Green is acquired, and it’s worthwhile to flip him again via trade, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote on June 16.
Clutchpoint’s Brett Seigel reported on Friday, June 20, that the Suns have made no progress on Green’s trade market.
It could be the reason why the Suns never needed a third team to complete the trade.
Green gets a fresh start after he mightily struggled in his first playoffs. Except for his 38-point explosion in Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors, the 6-foot-4 scoring guard was largely an afterthought in the series which went the distance.
Green led the Rockets in scoring during the regular-season with 21.0 points on 42.3% overall shooting and a career-best 35.4% from the 3-point line. But he only averaged 13.3 points on 37.2% overall shooting and 29.5% from the 3-point line in the Rockets’ firs-round flameout after clinching the No. 2 seed in the loaded Western Conference.
Green admitted the “lights were too bright” at the start of the playoffs.
Now, he’s headed to Phoenix where he can learn from Booker, who went through rough seasons with the Suns before becoming a playoff contender that reached the NBA Finals in 2021.
‘They Wanted Me to Go’
Getty Kevin Durant vents his frustration on Suns and their fanbase after the trade.
Durant leaves Phoenix with no playoff win to show after the Suns gave up a monster haul to acquire him at the trade deadline in 2023.
Still, Durant gave his best to the Suns, averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 62 games this season. But there was no turning back after Suns attempted to move him at the trade deadline without his knowledge.
He finally expressed his frustration about that episode and felt a huge sigh of relief that his time in Phoenix finally reached its merciful end.
“Being part of the Houston Rockets, I’m looking forward to it,” Durant told Kay Adams at Fanatics Fest in New York. “It was crazy, crazy last couple of weeks. I’m glad it’s over.”
“People could just hang your career in the balance like that, and just choose what they want to do to your career,” Durant added, referring to the Suns. … but being able to kind of dictate what you what you want to do, and being with a team that values you, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Durant also had a strong feelings about the Suns fans.
“They wanted me to go,” Durant told Adams. “They got what they wanted, and I got what I wanted. We can move on, and good luck to them going forward. Always remember my time there, but we’re on to something else.”
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