It was suggested by an NBA analyst that the Golden State Warriors sign longtime buddy Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns during the offseason.
The following trade proposal was put up by Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes for the Warriors and Suns:
The Trade: Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, and a 2025 first-round selection are exchanged for Kevin Durant by the Golden State Warriors for the Phoenix Suns.
This year, the Suns lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in four games in the first round of the playoffs, and the Warriors were eliminated.
“This deal would give the Suns real draft equity, cash savings, and instant three-and-d help from Wiggins—all for a player starting his 36th season—as well as a less expensive center option than Jusuf Nurkić.” Kuminga is a possible star. Phoenix has demonstrated no desire to diversify, preferring to assemble its roster around stars and hope to work out the details later. Last season, that strategy didn’t work out too well, and Durant constantly feels like he’s a few irate weeks away from making his next trade demand.
Durant would provide the Warriors with one of the few players good enough to potentially push them back into the contender class, despite his questionable personal history with Draymond Green. The Suns would undoubtedly request the Warriors’ first-round selection in 2027 as well, and they might give priority to Moses Moody or Gary Payton II (player option) over Looney. However, the agreement above is compliant with the CBA, whereas a deal that substitutes Moody for Looney would not quite adhere to the salary-matching requirements.
Durant was a member of the Warriors’ 2016–17 and 2018–19 teams. The NBA icon left for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 after winning two titles and two MVP awards in the Finals.
