Kevin Durant is being traded to the Phoenix Suns in. a late-night blockbuster move. When will he play his first game for Phoenix?
Matt Ishbia became the official owner of the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday and by Wednesday night, had already pushed his team to make a massive move: The team has landed Kevin Durant in a trade.
It’s a move that sent out several pieces and was a true win-win for both sides.
Now, the only question is when Durant will make his debut for the Suns.
When will Kevin Durant make his debut for Suns?
The Suns’ next game is Thursday on the road against the Atlanta Hawks, but don’t expect Kevin Durant to play in that game. Durant hasn’t played since January 8th, missing the last 14 games for the Nets due to an MCL sprain.
Previously, Durant said that the most ideal return date for that injury would be the few games before the All-Star break. But that was when things were different and Kyrie Irving hadn’t even been traded yet. Durant has already made it clear he won’t be participating in the All-Star game despite being selected due to his knee injury.
Now that he has a new team, though, expect them to take a cautious approach with their newest star. It would make the most sense to simply commit to getting Durant as healthy as possible and using this next stretch of games plus the All-Star break to make sure he’s ready to go. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the current belief is that Durant should be ready to go after the break.
If the Suns follow that strategy, the Suns’ first game after the All-Star break is February 24th at home against the OKC Thunder.
If the Suns do try to squeeze a game or two in for Durant as per his original timeline, they have home games on February 14th (Kings) and 16th (Clippers) that may be ideal return scenarios.
Ultimately, though, there should be no big rush with the All-Star break nearly here.