Mock Trade Sends Suns' Kevin Durant to Surprise West Team For Top-10 Pick, Veteran Guard
Mock Trade Sends Suns' Kevin Durant to Surprise West Team For Top-10 Pick, Veteran Guard originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Phoenix Suns have a busy offseason ahead of them as they try to turn their franchise around after another disappointing season.
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Phoenix finished the season 11th in the Western Conference with an abysmal 36-46 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.
Of course, the Suns were expected to be a top team in the West thanks to their star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal but now the trio's future in Phoenix is in doubt.
Jan 22, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) reacts during the second half of the game against the Chicago Bulls at Footprint Center.Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The Suns are expected to move on from both Durant and Beal this offseason to rebuild their roster around Booker.
Because of this, Durant now enters the offseason as one of the main trade targets for other contending team and he has already been linked to many, including the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves.
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While those are just some of the teams Durant has been linked to, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman recently released a mock trade that would send him to a surprise West team in the New Orleans Pelicans.
In the trade, Wasserman has Phoenix sending Durant to New Orleans in exchange for the seventh overall pick in the 2025 draft, C.J. McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, Jordan Hawkins, a top-three protected 2029 first-round pick and 2027 first-round pick swap via the Milwaukee Bucks.
Stephen Lew-Imagn ImagesStephen Lew-Imagn Images
This would be an interesting trade for New Orleans, especially after their terrible season that was riddled by injuries but with a new core of Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, Zion Williamson and Durant, they could be a contender next season.
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For the Suns, they would upgrade their depth in this trade while also landing a top-10 pick in which they could use to take a center like Khaman Maluach out of Duke, who Wasserman originally had the Pelicans taking.
Khaman Maluach. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
Despite this, the Pelicans may not be willing to give up this amount of assets for an aging Durant, especially after the season they are coming off of, and they may have no interest in Durant this offseason.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
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