Even in today's age of NBA player empowerment, it feels like no other star has led as itinerant an existence as Kevin Durant. KD has only played for four teams in his pro career, but he's always seemed like someone who was searching for something more than just the next big contract or the next checkbox on his resume.
Durant was searching for the best basketball situation when he left Oklahoma City for Golden State in 2016, and there can be no denying that he found it in winning two titles and two Finals MVPs with Steve Kerr and Steph Curry. Those Warriors teams are mentioned in the same breath as Jordan's Bulls, the Showtime Lakers and the '86 Celtics as one of the best teams of all-time, a status they wouldn't have reached without KD.
Despite his on-court success in the Bay, Durant never stopped being criticized for latching onto a team that was already dominant without him, and so he left for Brooklyn in 2019 in order to carve his own path. The Nets paired Durant with Kyrie Irving and James Harden, and even brought Steve Nash in to be the head coach, but to say that the supposed super-team didn't meet expectations would be an understatement. Durant's apparent series-clinching 3 in Game 7 against the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks was called back for having a toe on the line, and the team never got close to the promised land again before eventually imploding, with each star going their separate way.
Phoenix has been KD's worst stop yet, as the Suns have massively underperformed while making some ill-advised front office moves. That's done nothing to diminish Durant's sustained individual brilliance, though, as even at age 36 he scored over 26 points per game with his typical outstanding shooting splits.
The Suns are shackled to Bradley Beal and his no-trade clause, and have no real path to contention with Durant on the roster. Suns owner Mat Ishbia has been pushing all-in with a bad hand since buying the team, but the only real option left for him now is to get what he can for Durant and possibly Devin Booker, and begin rebuilding for the future.
The Philadelphia 76ers could be the perfect trade partner for the Phoenix Suns
Speaking of teams that underperformed last year, the Philadelphia 76ers had to be the most disappointing team in the entire league. Part of that was due to injuries, as Joel Embiid only played 19 games after coming into the season less than 100 percent, and early Rookie of the Year favorite Jared McCain suffered a season-ending meniscus tear in mid-December.
Even though injuries played a major role, they can't fully explain how a team that was supposed to be one of the best in the East finished 24-58, ahead of only four other teams in the league. Paul George bears a lot of that weight, as he took an enormous step back from his typical career performance after the Sixers signed him to a four-year, $212 million free agent deal this past summer.
George only played half the season himself as he dealt with multiple injuries, but even when he was on the court, he couldn't help Philly stop its seaso-long slide. His 16.2 points per game were over 5 points worse than anything he's done in the past decade. His and the team's performance was so bad that he even put his podcast on hiatus to avoid the backlash.
The Suns and Sixers make too much sense as potential trade partners this summer. Phoenix needs to retool and rebuild, but they don't have the draft picks with which to do it. Trading Durant for the No. 3 overall pick and George (an idea mentioned by ESPN's Jonathan Givony in his Sixers mock draft write-up), would allow the Suns to get a high-upside young talent like Ace Bailey or VJ Edgecombe, while banking on George to have a bounceback season and keep the team competitive in the short-term.
Sixers GM Daryl Morey has always been willing to take big swings in order to acquire star talent, and even now, there are few bigger stars in the league than KD. Philly is in a difficult spot, because they're on the hook for Embiid's three-year, $193 million extension that doesn't even kick in until next year. The former MVP's extensive injury issues make him virtually untradeable, so Morey sort of has no choice but to build a contender around him and hope that he's able to get back to full health.
If somehow Embiid is able to return to form, the Sixers could catapult back towards the top of the East with a core that also includes Durant, Tyrese Maxey and a healthy McCain. That's especially true after seeing how the Cavs imploded in the playoffs, Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles and Giannis Antetokounmpo might be traded away from the Bucks in the coming months. The conference could be wide open next year, and if healthy, the Sixers with KD would be as talented as anyone.
The Sixers were fortunate to even be able to hold onto their lottery pick, as it would have had to go to OKC if it fell outside the top six. Now that they have it, they can put it to good use by packaging it for one of the best players of his generation. Durant still has a lot left in the tank, and the Sixers have infinitely more upside than the Suns do. If he could ever get them to an Eastern Conference Finals, let alone an NBA Finals or a championship, he'd be hailed as a hero in the City of Brotherly Love.
Durant has put together one of the most impressive careers we've ever seen, but he's always been searching for validation anyway. Getting traded to the Sixers would give him the opportunity to finally find what he's been looking for.