An NBA writer suggested that the Golden State Warriors should trade for Kevin Durant in the offseason from the Phoenix Suns.
The following trade proposal was put up by Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes for the Warriors and Suns:
Kevin Durant is acquired by the Golden State Warriors from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and a first-round selection in 2025.
Durant shot 52.3% from the field, 41.3% from beyond the arc, and 85.6% from the free-throw line this season while averaging 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists for the Suns. In terms of points scored and points per game, he ranked fifth in the NBA.
After finishing 49-33 in the regular season, the Suns were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. After just one season, they let go of Frank Vogel and brought in Mike Budenholzer.
The Warriors failed to qualify for the playoffs this season despite having players like Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry.
Golden State was Durant’s team from 2016–17 to 2018–19. Before joining the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, KD earned two titles and two MVP awards in the Finals.
Next season, Durant is expected to earn $49.9 million, and in 2025–2026, $53.3 million.
Only two postseason series have been won by Durant since he left the Warriors. Twice in the postseason’s opening round, he has been swept.
“The Suns will push for an additional 2027 first-round pick, the only other one the Warriors can include, assuming this deal goes down on draft night,” Hughes wrote. “Meanwhile, the Dubs will try to swap in someone like Brandin Podziemski for Kuminga, whom the organization has labeled untouchable.
“In addition to those negotiating sticking points, Golden State is still taking on about $3 million more in salary than is allowed—and that’s assuming it doesn’t include Kevon Looney‘s non-guaranteed $8 million salary for 2024-25.
“Put all those hangups aside and consider, though, that the Warriors are one of very few teams more tied to an immediate win-now timeline than the Suns. Curry has two more years on his deal, and it seems clear the organization is committed to surrounding him with a competitive team. Durant will turn 36 before next season starts and comes with health risks, but he’s probably the more valuable short-term contributor than Kuminga, Wiggins or Moody.
“Would Phoenix admit its mistake in trading for KD so soon? Probably not. But that doesn’t change reality: The Suns are extremely expensive, inflexible and in for a long stretch of ugly seasons if and when their three max players decline or break up. A Durant trade is the only way to soften the landing over the latter half of this decade. It’d replenish the team’s stock of young players, picks and depth.”
Throughout 208 games with the Warriors, Durant—one of the all-time best scorers in the NBA—averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
“Phoenix gets to go into 2024-25 with two max-level stars (Devin Booker and Bradley Beal) and three new combo forwards in its rotation,” Hughes wrote. “The roster suddenly makes much more sense, and Kuminga’s upside provides some down-the-road optimism. Meanwhile, the Warriors lean all the way into the ‘last ride’ narrative by bringing KD back to function as a savior rather than the bandwagon-hopping free-agent acquisition he was in 2016.”
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