In a stunning turn of events, after spending upwards of the last two months trying to find deals that would send out Bradley Beal and/or Jusuf Nurkić, extreme traction is growing on the Phoenix Suns moving off of Kevin Durant ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The idea of Durant being moved came via The Stein Line, Marc Stein’s NBA newsletter, from Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports. The report on Monday detailed that, although the Suns have made it clear that Durant will remain unavailable ahead of the deadline, Phoenix was taking and listening to calls on the 15-time All-Star.
Fast-forward to Tuesday afternoon, and The Athletic‘s Sam Amick, David Aldridge and Anthony Slater reported that, along with the Golden State Warriors, the Dallas Mavericks are a team that covets Durant.
Finally, enter one last cryptic X post/tweet from NBA Insider Zach Lowe, formerly of ESPN, saying simply: “Lots of eyes and ears around the league on the Kevin Durant situation right now.”
Lots of eyes and ears around the league on the Kevin Durant situation right now.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 5, 2025
It’s hard to tell whether or not the 36-year-old star would even be a topic of conversation if not for the earth-murmuring trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis and Max Christie. But the shocking move may have startled owners… or shown them that anything is possible, and no one is truly untouchable.
At least that’s what players think.
“They’re always having conversations about you,” Suns all-time leading scorer Devin Booker said, reacting to the trade.
Durant added, “If (Dončić) can get traded, then anybody’s up for grabs.”
Phoenix has been the (outwardly) preferred destination of disgruntled Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. But through a long, grueling process of back-and-forth between Butler and Heat president Pat Riley, drenched with suspensions and plenty ‘he said-he saids,’ Butler landing with the Suns seems more unlikely by the day.
Whether it’s Beal, Nurkić, or Durant that is moved before the deadline, one thing is evident: the Suns need a change. As currently constructed, Phoenix’s hopes of contention are bleak. They can go one of two ways: 1) go all-in and trade Beal and Nurkić in multiple trades, with multiple teams, to acquire Butler and contend (regardless of how steep that feat is), or 2) cut your losses, trade Durant, recoup assets and finally put the Big Three project to rest.
You know what, how could I forget the third option… stand pat and float in a puddle of mediocrity while conference foes around you take substantial steps forward.
Durant is doubtful Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a left ankle sprain. The trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. EST.
Suns injury report: Kevin Durant doubtful vs Thunder with ankle sprain
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
