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Suns rumors: Coaching search ‘reinforcing’ Kevin Durant trade plans
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- Suns rumors: Coaching search ‘reinforcing’ Kevin Durant trade plans
The post Suns rumors: Coaching search 'reinforcing' Kevin Durant trade plans appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Phoenix Suns are still picking up the pieces from a terrible 2024-25 season based on their lofty expectations coming in. Injuries played a part in the abysmal 36-46 finish, but it was clear throughout the campaign that the Suns were not going to compete for a championship with this roster even at full strength.
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That failure led to a predictable coaching change at the end of the year, as the Suns fired head coach Mike Budenholzer quickly after their final game.
The Suns also almost traded star forward Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, but opted to hold onto him instead. Now, a deal to send Durant out of town seems imminent even as the Suns continue to search for a new head coach , according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
"There have been strong indications during the search process, sources say, to reinforce the notion that Phoenix is likely to move on from Kevin Durant after Durant's 2 1/2-season run in the desert," Stein wrote. "It has been anticipated for some time that Phoenix, no matter who is hired as the new coach, will explore its Durant trade options this offseason — in collaboration with the future Hall of Famer and his business manager Rich Kleiman — after Phoenix unilaterally pursued a Durant trade in February that the 36-year-old ultimately urged them not to make."
The Suns clearly need a reset of some sort, and it seems that sending Durant elsewhere is the path that they are going to take to get there. It feels less likely that the Suns would choose to move on from Devin Booker , the younger homegrown star in Phoenix.
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The return for Durant this offseason will be a fascinating storyline to watch. On one hand, he is still one of the best scorers in the NBA and is unguardable when he has the ball. The former MVP can immediately transform any offense that he joins with his shotmaking making him an attractive target for some teams.
On the other hand, Durant will be 37 years old at the start of next season and has struggled with multiple injury issues over the last few years. If a team were to gut its roster to acquire him, that squad would need him to be available consistently throughout the season, which is a risky bet at this point.
