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NBA rumors: What Suns are hoping to acquire in Kevin Durant trade package
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- NBA rumors: What Suns are hoping to acquire in Kevin Durant trade package
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The post NBA rumors: What Suns are hoping to acquire in Kevin Durant trade package appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Phoenix Suns are ready to move on from a disastrous 2024-25 season, and step one is already completed. Jordan Ott is in as the new head coach , replacing Mike Budenholzer, and will attempt to change the culture of the team. Now, the Suns are focused on moving on from Kevin Durant and getting a big return back for him.
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The Suns are looking to have Durant out the door by the time the NBA Draft gets going on June 25, but they aren't just going to give the star scorer away for free. As expected, Phoenix is looking for valuable assets on the trade market from any team that wants to bring Durant in, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
"The Suns, sources say, are hoping to acquire a measure of quality draft capital as part of the return for Durant, sources say, and thus have been conducting due diligence on various levels of first-round prospects in the belief they will obtain at least one meaningful selection in the draft taking place 11 days from now," Fischer wrote. "At present Phoenix only holds the 29th and 52nd picks."
The Suns will also want to get their hands on some role players who can contribute in the rotation right away as the team looks to get back into contention as soon as possible with Devin Booker leading the way. That makes teams like the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets intriguing landing spots, but the Suns are looking to the future as well.
The hope is that Booker still has a good amount of time left as a star in his prime, so valuable draft capital would go a long way toward ensuring that the Suns are set for years to come. At the moment, Phoenix doesn't have a ton of future assets or cap space after going all-in on the core of Booker, Durant and Bradley Beal , so this trade is a chance to recoup some of that going forward.
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Durant's trade value is still up in the air , and it's unclear what exactly a team would give up to get him. While the former league MVP is still an elite player that can turn a playoff team into a true title contender, his age and struggles with injuries in recent years will give some teams reason to pause.
Still, the Suns should get a good return for Durant whenever a deal gets done. As the draft gets closer and closer, the four-time scoring champ is getting close to finding a new home.
Related: Suns rumors: 2 other players on trade market with Kevin Durant
Related: NBA rumors: Insiders skeptical of Rockets' Kevin Durant trade chances despite preference
