Kevin Durant’s ACTUAL TRADE VALUE For Phoenix Suns In 2025

Kevin Durant’s ACTUAL TRADE VALUE For Phoenix Suns In 2025

oh there’s nothing to talk about nothing’s going on you just want to cancel the show Stephen absolutely not you’re [Music] Heat heat [Music] psychos and sickos unite for a free agent Friday but also Kevin Durant value edition of PHNX Suns of course coming to you live from Studio K presented by Circle K join the Inner Circle for free by downloading the Circle K app today terms and conditions apply at participating locations visit circlek.com for full details i’m Eric that is Steven we got the freckled mamba behind the Mac making all of the magic happen and we’ve got the chat on fire the most important people I’m talking about this ain’t Mike Lex a soldier my dad Carlos and so many more filing in here live on YouTube on a Friday afternoon as the Kevin Durant trade rumors news reporting everything is bringing to a bubble stephen the heat’s been turned up the pot’s been been simmering and now it’s full on bubbling but before we dive into comparing Kevin Durant’s trade value from 2023 to 2025 the recent reports surrounding Miami Minnesota and Houston and then eventually getting to some free agent wild cards how you doing uh we got a special visitor in the chat don’t we yeah we got we got George Young in the chat did we Did you learn your lesson from last time did I learn my lesson with George no not with George well I don’t know what you’re talking about Mr jeff oh my dad yeah what’s up Dad hey so Mr ruby I We’re doing this again i clearly did not get my message across last time um that’s that’s on me team i I’ll be better with that we’ll handle that off the air all right before we get into family drama let’s get into Kevin Durant by the way love that that George Young is also back uh sure rockets fan uh this Mike says “Don’t feed the trolls again.” Buddy I’ll feed the trolls if I want to feed the trolls i don’t care okay Kevin Durant I don’t know if you know this but he’s probably getting traded uh just some stuff to keep people up to date on what’s going on obviously uh all signs are pointing towards the Kevin Durant trade going down sooner rather than later uh some are saying as soon as today some are saying this weekend sham Shirania is reporting that there are three finalists it’s the Houston Rockets it’s the Minnesota Timberwolves and it’s the Miami Heat which is interesting that San Antonio is out there gambo is saying that the the Suns are basically going to San Antonio and saying you either include number two or you include Stefon Castle or these other packages are better uh Stephen the these final three are they surprising to you absolutely but I think this is negotiation tactics happening in real time i think that San Antonio is not trying to put too much on the table and I think that they’re not they’re I think this the Suns are trying to call their bluff and this is what we talked about earlier this week not necessarily disrespecting the news that other people might be reporting from other beats and other other cities in particular that cover other teams but it feels like we are in the midst of um some very loud things taking place behind the scenes yeah as far as teams not want to put too much on the table and the Suns trying to see who’s going to blink first and who blinks first ultimately might be who gets Kevin Durant but obviously some of that might also be in his hands as far as choosing where he actually wants to go yeah the with the Spurs I mean Judas in the chat is saying you’re not getting second sunsorg needs to stop overvaluing Katie we’ll talk about KD’s exact value here in a second this is also we we we always say you know think about where you’re getting reports from and think about why they’re surfacing right again Sham Shirania uh incredibly reliable source again I think there’s a there’s a big three of of reliable sources in Sunsland right now of course it’s Shams it’s Gambo and it’s Flex that that is who I’m looking at at these times of course Flex is retired so he’s not dropping as much as he he used to uh and of course if Gerald you know decides to do that then we trust Gerald but think about where this might be coming from cuz this time it might be coming from the Suns perspective because Stephen what you want to do is create some FOMO right oh these are the final three teams it’s Miami Minnesota Houston well if you’re San Antonio and you’re reluctant to put Stfan Castle or the number two pick in a package but you really want KD and you don’t know if Giannis is available you see those reports it it might be trying to play chess from a Suns perspective like we saw Houston do uh in the last couple of weeks yep and that’s the thing that’s why that’s why I mentioned earlier this week just patience i know that everybody wants to see what’s going on so that we can get more clarity as far as who the Suns might be potentially getting back in a trade for Kevin Durant and what that what that means for the team going forward but there’s just so much news happening and not all of it is going to ultimately be what’s going on at the finish line of these things so just got to be patient and take the news for what it is in the moment but don’t put too much stake in it because as we’ve seen already news has been coming out in a different manner about seven eight times this week already well how how much did it feel like it was inevitable that it was Kevin Durant to San Antonio right and and now and before that it was Houston before that it was Houston and and before that it was the Warriors right and now it’s now it’s now it’s Houston Minnesota Miami and Miami has has come on really really strong as well and that is something where we uh had the lucky fortune of being able to talk to somebody very familiar with the Miami Heat uh Nikkias Duncan who is a friend of Stevens who was on the full PHX Mercury pod earlier today we grabbed him for a couple of minutes and we talked about the Kevin Durant with Miami fit if they’d be willing to give up Kel Wear and just basically diving deep into that that entire interview is about 11 minutes long it’s already up on our YouTube channel and it’s already up on audio for you to listen along with a trending pot I recorded this morning about how the Phoenix Suns failed Kevin Durant right all that’s already ready for you so we’re not going to play the entire Nikkias Duncan interview but Stephen one of the things that we’re talking about today is what is Kevin Durant’s actual value with the Suns so we’ll save the Miami stuff for the full Nikkias video this is what he had to say about Kevin Durant’s current value on the trade market nikias we appreciate you so much for taking some time and talking with us through your busy schedule of course you appeared on PHX Mercury for a full show earlier so make sure you check that out as well before we let you go from a non-Miami heat perspective obviously you know Kevin Durant and his trade value has been a pretty big sticking point for a lot of people uh obviously you’re not going to get the type of value that you gave up for him to get him from Brooklyn where do you see Kevin Rance’s value as he enters his age 37 season this upcoming year it’s complicated really because like you mentioned the age but he’s still very clearly like a top 15 guy when he’s healthy and ultimately he might just be a top 15 guy of all time for that matter and like he’s an expiring but you kind of assume if you’re trading for him that you’re going to work out some kind of like two or three year extension on top of that like that kind of worries me as he enter like age 39 age 40 but this also isn’t a guy who’s relying on like traditional athleticism i guess I’ll frame it that way and so like I think he is still worth if not an A+ prospect like a B-level young prospect and like some combin I think three first that’s two first in a swap two swaps and a good first like I think that’s probably where I go with KD if you’re baking in it’s KD for three years or three or four years like that’s probably where I go like I don’t think it is well I would like to say like the Luca type guy but we saw what that trade package was but even that gets you an allNBA guy Davis but that’s another pod for another time um but like you’re not getting like you’re not getting the A+ like if Jokic hit the market or if Wimby hit the market or something like you’re not getting everything you’re not getting five first three swaps your best two of your three best young prospects but like there’s a middle ground there like I think three first some kind of nation of first in swaps but three is probably my number a B-level prospect like if it’s a C- level prospect then you’re just getting three first if it’s B- level then maybe it’s two first in a swap however high you go you kind of alter from there but that’s kind of the range I’m looking at with KD last one for me for you you can make this quick or as elaborative as you want if you’re the Suns would you air on having picks heavily pick involved to get in exchange for Durant would you air on getting more win now type of talents maybe younger win now type of guys or is you kind of look for the hybrid of both um I probably go for the hybrid and that’s mostly because you just can’t do anything with Bradley Bill like I think in an ideal world like one in an ideal world I think Bill is just already gone and like you’re probably not even having the Kevin Durant discussion to begin with but like if Bill was more movable than he is then I think you could afford to aim for like we could just go pure picks with a KD thing and then use Bradley Bill to get two roll guys and then that’s just kind of how you get to that hybrid kind of thing but absent of the Bill deal like I think trying to find a hybrid is probably your best bet like can we get a solid role pick can we get like a Royce O’Neal type of guy to kind of slide it like that caliber of role player not necessarily that position or whatever but just that quality of you can do solid things for us on both ends of the floor can unlock some line of versatility for us can you find those types and also get some pick equity like you already kind of got creative last year with turning a future first into like three lower level first and then making moves from there um so like obviously this is a front office that has shown we can get creative to try to get more pigs in the building but if you can find a way to get just pure pigs in the building considering how much of your draft is out of your control right now like you got to get something on we talked about if he’d be willing to part with Khal Wear in a Kevin Durant trade and so much more on the Miami Heat side of things if building around Bam Hero and KD is something that Pat Riley would do go ahead and check that out on audio and in video right after this show ends along with my trending mini pod that I did earlier today on why the Phoenix Suns failed Kevin Durant and we are going to hold on to Steven’s Jordan film session for a little longer let the KD stuff breathe but don’t worry we’re working on that behind the scenes it’s going to be really awesome again hit that like button hit that subscribe button five star reviews go a long way let’s get settled back down in here on PHNX Suns we got a $2 super chat from be calm see clearly two $2 super chats uh one says “Spreading love and compassion while I’m depressed.” And the other one is “I’m fine though sometimes it comes and goes.” Well be calm see clearly we hope that you can find some sort of escape in this show we always appreciate having you here uh and the smiles and the laughs that you bring so hope that you’re doing okay and uh thank you for taking some time and tuning in with us says a lot about your character that you might be at what you might see as a low point at this moment and still finding a way to give to us via your time via your attention and literally via the super chat so needless to say can’t say it enough we appreciate you and hope that behind closed doors with you as well 100% absolutely 100% you ready to talk some hoop let’s get it all right so what we’re going to do here is we’re going to take this argument that we have been getting screamed at about for all of our our trade machine pods on social medias and everything like that kevin Durant’s trade value how many times Stephen have you been told that we are uh insane and that we’re giving Kevin Durant too much value on the trade market uh almost with every trade to every single trade my natural rebuttal is to understand that it might not be a full understanding and to say that that dude makes $54.7 million there’s only a certain percentage of NBA players that make that money you have to find ways to appease the Suns in some capacity in a legal sense by matching what you’re bringing into your team as far as salary goes yep listen we know that the Suns gave up the farm for Kevin Durant and we know that they’re not going to be getting that back but realistically how good of a player is Kevin Durant now compared to where he was at in 2022 2023 when he was playing for the Brooklyn Nets let’s just go ahead and look at it from a statistical perspective and then talk about the film stephen first up Kevin Durant’s 2022 2023 Brooklyn Nets averages in 39 games kevin Durant was playing like a top five possibly top three possibly top one player in the world 29.7 points per game 6.7 rebounds per game 5.3 assists per game shooting 62.2% from the mid-range the two-point area on 14 attempts per game also shooting 37.6% from three then let’s take a look at the Phoenix Suns tenure the 2024 2025 season for Kevin Durant a drop off in almost every statistical category 26.6 6 points per game six rebounds per game 4.2 assists per game shooting 57.4% from two here’s where the uptick comes three-point percentage now shooting 43% from deep on six attempts per game of course both of those higher than his time in Brooklyn stephen the the biggest difference in Kevin Durant’s game that I see now versus when he was in Brooklyn is there is this top level of athleticism that it feels like has fallen away a little bit from him do you feel like that’s the biggest difference between then and now i wouldn’t say his athleticism per se i think I would phrase it more as he’s playing he’s playing the game at a slower pace and it’s because he’s put on more muscle to play in the post more and because of that he doesn’t need to create the same type of space that he may have prior to his time coming to Phoenix i feel like it’s more of a shift in that respect more than a decline in athleticism because I mean um who is that that he that he crossed over Daniel Gaffford this last year like god he’s not far removed from that and he’s shown to still have that handle in multiple respects that patented double crossover where he leaves people all over the court before he pulls up into the midi that’s top one at worst in the history of the game right isn’t it funny that when you read the stats and I say he dropped dropped off from shooting 62.2% from two and and 14 attempts from two per game he just dropped off you know 57.4% on 12 attempts which is still the highest of highs from from that perspective and I think that comes and more than anything it comes from the tweaking and usage for him in particular and we can get more into that but I’ll leave it at there’s been a tweak in usage for him where he’s getting more static touches where he’s catching and holding than in years past where he would be getting touches on the move well and I and I do think part of that and when I say like loses some athleticism I want people to understand that that Kevin Durant is still an elite athlete still again top of the topline guy i believe he was a borderline top 10 player in the NBA last year and if he stayed healthy for more which he played 62 games so not terrible he would have been in the MVP conversation if obviously the Suns were a little better and he was in the MVP conversation at the beginning of his age 36 season you know when I say he lost a lot athleticism I think the way you put it where it’s activity on the court in Brooklyn it just felt like he was bouncing around a little bit more he was a little quicker to drive to the rim a little quicker to take that first step mhm he doesn’t need to necessarily do that stuff right he can still rise and hit a shot over you almost every single time that that he has the ball plus uh playing in a lot different of a context in in Brooklyn that season versus the Suns that season uh before we talk about you know projecting what KD might look like two three years down the line for a team who’s trying to trying to trade for him what is it about the usage that you feel like might play into those drop of points and the drop of rebounds the drop of assists and percentages over the last couple of years for KD some of it is the context of team offense that he’s playing in if the coaches wanted him to do a little bit more on dynamic touches I’m sure he would not oblige actually will have no problem adjusting his game to that or adapting not even adjusting because he has nothing to adjust to he would have no issue adapting his game and kind of molding it into the style of play that the team desires hence why we saw him taking and making a careerh high and catch and shoot three-point opportunities this past season but asked him to do more of that he says “Okay I can do that no problem.” And then just simply knocks down over 40% uh over elite clip from there my thing is and it’s something I detailed prior to my time with PHNX u when they made the trade for Kevin Durant earlier in his career he was an absolute demon coming off of all variations of pendowns whether it be um one single pin downs whether it be stagger away action whether it be him getting those thunder screens where it’s literally called a thunder screen because of him where he receives a pin down from a a guard from the weak side dunker spot and he flows up to the nil and gets to the mids and play isolation from there high usage in terms of offscreens for him earlier in his career especially Seattle going into Oklahoma City in the finals run and whatnot when he was the big shooting guard transitions to the three towards the end of his Oklahoma City tenure and then obviously in Golden State a little bit more stagnant touches a little bit more single pin downs not more staggers and more touches where he’s catching he’s assessing he’s playing in isolation isolation king in the history of the game no issue with that gets to Brooklyn and it takes even a step back from what it was when he was in Oklahoma City and Golden State and then he comes to Phoenix and now it’s very rare i feel like the only time we saw Kevin Durant this past season or past two seasons and movement actions was typically from a U sideline out of bounds or baseline out of bounds where he’s getting option screens where he can come off of a flex screen or cross screen going to the block on the other side on one end or he can take the pin down and go towards the wing from another and then with Frank Vogle he was using a lot of flex screen actions where he’s getting a screen from a guard to get to the block and things like that all of that kind of went out the window when Mike Buddha came in no and it feels like on the rarest of occasions we would see the Suns go in transition on the the rare occasion where they got a stop one of the bigs trails in sets a screen on the ball and then immediately sets a a wide pin down for for Kevin Durant outside of that movement wise there wasn’t much to their offense so it was a lot of catch and hold and that’s not a bad thing but you lose your flow for your offense if you’re not leveraging your spacing around him if everybody’s just standing and watching when he gets a touch some of that is a credit to his greatness for sure but there’s also a there’s a trickle down effect on okay if the defense knows that when Durant gets his touches in his spots and everybody else is watching if Eric if you throw it to KD and you’re just watching him I can take a step this way and I can just take one peek because I know you’re not moving and I can be okay giving more help to KD to some of the turnovers and some of the stuff that’s one of the big things that people talk about as far as a Kevin Durant regression are his his uptick in turnovers and and I do think that was one of the the main and biggest gripes about Kevin Durant’s play from a Phoenix Suns perspective last year you know and I I don’t think that’s nothing right but then you add on these things beyond just the fact that KD was taking maybe an extra half second to make his reads maybe not passing the way that that he should be but when you talk about a lack of an infrastructure a lack of an offensive identity you know these are the type of things that when a double is set and you’re trying to make a decision in half of a second and you don’t know in the back of your head if Tyus is going here and Dunn is going here dun’s not even playing sorry it’s actually Royce O’Neal this time even though it was done for the last two weeks like you you have all these moving pieces you could argue that Kevin Durant was not set up to be his best self last season and so you look at those stats and you ask yourself a question that I think we attack after this break which is could the teams who are trading for Kevin Durant actually talk themselves into him improving next season despite the increase in age so let’s talk about that continue to break down Kevin Durant’s value and a reminder we will be getting into free agent sleepers for the Suns all after our first break listen the Suns need their floor raised and if you need your floor changed check out Empire Today now the best part about Empire Today isn’t just the fact that they’re giving you $350 off just for listening to this podcast no they 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well if you live in Arizona you definitely know that and with summer here it’s time to get smart about saving that means smart thermostats smart thermostats can work with your APS rate plan to maximize your comfort and convenience while minimizing your energy costs if you’re on an APS time of use plan use your smartphone or device to automatically adjust the thermostat to take advantage of lowerc cost off- peak hours aps customers may be eligible for smart thermostats for as low as $0 when you enroll in the APS Cool Rewards program if you’re not sure how to install a smart thermostat don’t worry about it free install also available at APS Marketplace find instant rebates discounts and special offers on smart thermostats energy efficient appliances and more at marketplace.aps.com you must be an APS customer and pay shipping and taxes other restrictions apply go to marketplace.aps.com for more information this is a a question that came to me while we were talking Stephen and and you know I love when we’re getting into something that I’ve prepared and I’ve planned for and we go down this path that I that I wasn’t thinking of before we all assume that the NBA in general views Kevin Durant as a depreciating asset because of his age not that he’s a bad player but that he won’t get better as time goes on mhm is there a chance that when you look at a Miami a Minnesota and Houston right teams who to themselves believe that they’re in a better spot to win now than the Phoenix Suns can talk themselves into saying KD in our system despite an extra year of age would be better than he was last season therefore it’s worth the value if I’m going to give an extra pick or an extra young player you’re talking about between Miami just any anybody i mean those are the final three so I think it’s it’s good to focus on those but just in general to to have a team who feels like they have a better infrastructure to get more out of KD that might lend them to spend more yeah I think especially in the case of San Antonio yes because if they’re not having to empty their entire treasure trove of assets they could still pivot to another move which could naturally also pivot to putting Durant in an even better situation than the trade might initially suggest so yeah I I would I would say so with that and I feel like there’s certain teams that have certain pieces that although they might not necessarily be Devin Booker in the context of play they can still garner a similar type of attention if not more which would naturally put him in position to be as successful as he was with the Suns yeah I I think if I was Houston and I was looking at what our team needed or Minnesota and the fact of how playing with a guy like Anthony Edwards could unlock him or hell even Miami talking about pairing him up with Bam Adabio and a coach like Eric Spolstra i don’t we don’t talk about Tyler Hero over here um I believe in history by the way uh but you know when you’re looking at that I I don’t know if it would lend them to pay more more so than this bidding war that seemingly is created would but I do think that it it eases these concerns about a decline because when you look at the stats in 22 23 and you look at the stats for 24 25 there’s a difference right but he might be 37 he ain’t a regular 37 you know these stats that he’s talking that we’re talking about here that have declined are still pretty much his career averages teddy brings it up in the chat uh with a super chat and says 57.4 from two is basically his average since 1415 i wasn’t saying that Kevin Durant has you know become a way worse basketball player but more so the level he was operating at in Brooklyn when he got traded to now was a little different we’re talking top five to like top 12 top 15 do you see Kevin Durant’s game aging any more poorly than it already has over the next couple of seasons and realistically how much longer do you see this guy playing professional basketball yeah I said it earlier this season and I’ll continue to stand on it katie can play and toe whenever he wants to he is in that caliber of players no different than Chris Paul no different than LeBron James no different than Steph Curry because those guys have a specific skill set and I sound like Liam Niss right now those guys have a specific skill set specific to their dynamic and style of play that always allows for them to be dictating to their opponents you’re never going to be able to stop KD from scoring the basketball and doing so efficiently you’re never going to stop Chris Paul from thinking the game through and putting his teammates in positions to be as successful as they possibly can and running an efficient alltime efficient pick and roll on top of that you’re never going to stop LeBron James from just being great period yep never going to stop Steph Curry from getting up threes and knocking down threes and his gravity from opening up people and being an offense in and of himself with KD the fact that he’s such a skilled and such a comprehensively skilled offensive talent say maybe two or three years from now his isolations that are all time great in terms of efficiency don’t hit to the extent that they once did where else will he be able to find value as a catch and shoot exactly i said it earlier this season which is what I’m getting to kd could turn into Klay Thompson if he really wanted to whenever he wanted to yeah and that’s no indictment against Klay Thompson these are alltime great shooters that we’re speaking to and we’re talking about the general greatness of KD scoring maybe it’s less usage in an intense fashion and he just has gravity off the ball and he’s just playing catch and shoot for you yeah i think Kevin Rant’s offensive game even if it declines just he’s still he’s still a top five offensive player top 10 overall offensive talent in the league it and the last part of this conversation is his defense Stephen he was and I I truly believe this as somebody who watched every single Phoenix Suns game multiple times last season he was one of the better defenders in the NBA i think if he played a fully healthy season and the pieces around him were better and by fully healthy I just mean eligible so three more games mhm and the the pieces around him were better in Phoenix kevin Durant as an individual defender was defending at an allNBA defense level like second team most likely not like locked down like first team but somebody who’s in contention with that for his defense Stephen as somebody who as he’s gotten older he has aged so gracefully offensively and it feels like he’s still finding a great way to be impactful defensively how do you see that holding up over the next couple of years yeah uh well again no different than the offensive end that applies to the defense and because he thinks the game through so well and sees the game so well and communicates it well too there’s not going to be much of a drop off there especially because he’s shifted to from guarding twos and threes when he first came into the league to now he’s guarding fours and fives on a more regular basis and on occasion he can go out and guard a three a younger three at times in space and be able to make up for what he might lack potentially in foot speed at this point with his size to recover and how many times do we see someone think they got leverage on them getting downhill and then here comes that 72 wingspan just blocks from behind 72 wingspan mixed with the intangibles of somebody who’s been playing in the NBA since before 2010 right who’s more addicted to the game than maybe any other person who’s ever walked in and picked up a basketball in the history of picking up basketballs right so he has you know his body type specifically obviously he’s been injuryprone but he’s not a heavy set guy right he doesn’t really seem like he’s losing any of his fluidity and his brain still works he could be a good weak side helpside defender and eventually maybe more of a of a slow rim protector as he as he ages a little bit more as well exactly that’s the thing with how he’s with with who he’s guarding typically and the ways in which he’s used on defense if you have him to where he’s not having to take on a Julius Randall or like a top level four every time they’re going against that team now he’s in a position to be a great help defender and that’s what he’s always been really really good at because of the size but also because of the mind and the way that he communicates it i’m thinking about most of the moments with Frank Vogle in particular i wish it happened more last season but no need to rehash what we already understand to have been sure with Frank Vogle anytime Kevin Durant was space to the second side of action let’s say it’s him and Bradley Bill bradley Bill is the low man his man is at the corner kevin Durant’s at the elbow his man is at the wing or above the break balls on his first side kevin Durant communicates with Bradley Bill let me be the low man so they switch positions and now something happens at the rim and instead of Bradley Bill at 63 with a what 68 wingspan you now have a sevenfooter with a 74 73 wingspan that you have to deal with at the basket and now Bradley Bill is able to help the helper it’s little things like that that can just get more usage out of Kevin Durant efficiently on defense have him be more effective and he can always do that that has nothing to do with his size and nor will it ever be an indictment against his his IQ for the game yeah we got Josh in the chat saying “Durant defending at an allNBA defensive level at 36 is funny what a sales pitch.” Lol it’s not a sales pitch dude it’s it’s genuine eye test like listen we we get accused of everything right and when we post a trade it’s y’all value Katie too much y’all don’t value Katie enough i I’ve been called a Katie hater and then from the video I put out this morning I’ve been called somebody who’s on Kevin Rant’s payroll okay i just call things how I see it i watch a lot of basketball and I watch a lot of Kevin Rant play basketball he was a great defensive player last year by all defensive I test metrics now on a context as a team defensively my Boonholder system was trash right it was it was bad um I I put more on the team than I do KD and that’s why I said it this morning on my my trending mini pod the Phoenix Suns failed Kevin Durant not as much the other way around but Kevin Durant’s not perfect Stephen i do want to put that out there as well what is your your biggest concern for Kevin Durant as he reaches the twilight of his career or what we expect to be the twilight of his career like if you were let’s say a Houston a a Minnesota a Miami and you’re negotiating with the Suns and you say “H I don’t want to give you KL Wear i don’t want to give you the number 10 pick because this is my worry about Kevin Durant over the next couple of years what would that be um well depending on what team he’s going to how is he going to fit into what it is that we’re trying to get to with our offense right now so imagine just throw him out there with San Antonio obviously you’re going to want a certain percentage of usage for Dear Fox naturally being your point guard obviously you’re going to want x amount of touches at the elbow at the post in isolation inverted pick and roll for Victor Wayyama where does Kevin Durant fit into that equation of a big three a literal big three where you have three players that in their past couple of seasons have flirted with 30 plus% usage how do you split that up where do his touches come from how well does he kind of acquies to those touches does he lose any rhythm from those touches does he gain rhythm and what does that look like over the course of games against specific styles of defenses and especially come playoff time i think the biggest thing for me probably would be so what about the first three and a half quarters and that last five minutes of of games in the fourth quarter where he’s been an all-time great if he doesn’t have the typical usage and rhythm or volume of shots does he still keep his efficiency and effectiveness in the clutch because that’s when he’s going to be the biggest advantage that he can possibly be for you i think it’s funny that you know the question was posed is like what would be your worry about KD and you looked at it from like a a team perspective yeah because it’s never going to be a mistake and I think like you know Kevin Durant as well he’s going to be signing an extension he’s going to be making top top tier money right i think that’s to me the biggest concern if I’m one of these teams is yes Kevin Rant still performs at a great level right let’s let’s say like his floor is 23 points per game 22 points per game you know like three or four less than what he has right now a bucket or so less than than his current averages i think his percentages would go up i think his defense would wayne over the next couple of years i I wouldn’t necessarily call him a liability but I think he’ll be worse i I mean it’s impossible to say this guy’s going to be exactly the same right exactly the same that being said and and again I think Kevin Ran has a lot of value in the modern NBA and and with the current CBA stuff I don’t know if you could afford to give Kevin Durant like a max max contract right if you are really trying to build a a contender because what what we’re seeing is possibly teams shifting from giving top 20 players these ultramaxes to maybe saving it to exclusively these these top 10 players because of how you build a team i think that would be my biggest concern if I was trading for Kevin Durant because I’d want to give him an extension i’d want him on my team but is allotting 60 million to KD in his age 40 season an easy way to look back and say “Well maybe we should have allotted that money elsewhere even though he’s still producing.” For sure i think the only thing I had to add to that is naturally with health you get an older player they’re typically a little more susceptible to even if it’s only like soft tissue minor injuries how frequently are those popping up yeah how much is that keeping them out and what pocket of the schedule whether it be playoffs regular season uh where you might be in limbo in terms of where you are in the standings like little things like that I think you will have to caution but that’s no different than you would with anybody that’s of that age of basketball players yeah let’s do a couple super chats here before we hit our final break and then of course we’re going to get into some free agent sleepers for the Suns hit that like button hit that subscribe button tune in with us at 3 p.m every single day on PHNX Suns Monday through Friday then of course we’ve got so much extra for you like our interview with Nikkias Duncan that’s already out on video and audio trending media pods already out on video and audio today plus we’ll be doing a breaking news pod whenever Kevin Durant does eventually get traded mai with a 499 super chat always good to see you back in here Mai uh crazy that KD has to get traded cuz Beal is the ultimate villain in the league and ruined the team on and off the court just my opinion Beal fans yeah that’s the tough part but again I the Suns chose to get involved with this they didn’t have to do that so for you know for the fingerpointing and whatnot this is ultimately decision ultimately a decision that a group of minds decided to go forward with and this is ultimately one of the repercussions from it yep teddy with a 499 super chat said the 2223 Kevin Rant season was more of an outlier than anything else careerhigh that year and second time he hit 60% from two also wanted to point out it’s 39 games kd played 62 games for the Suns stats as well 39 before an injury there so it could be okay a high sample size all of Katie stats are up that That’s also something that if I’m the Suns I’m referencing that you know 62 games is still a good value for for Katie it’s not like he played 10 mhm not like he played 20 right like this guy played 62 games and probably if the Suns were competing would have been back for the end of the season to play more he he probably could have played 65 67 games any final notes on Kevin Durant’s value currently you know we talked about it with Nikkias obviously we’ve kind of hashed it out i I think that somebody in the chat kind of put it in a good way a lot earlier said it’s going to be lower than what PHNX thinks it’s going to be and higher than what other fans of other teams think it’s going to be usually there’s a middle ground here i I think at the end of the day Stephen my final thought is if you don’t think the Suns are getting any value back for KD if you think the Suns are going to take scraps you’re wrong if you think the Suns are getting five first round picks five second round picks and an all-star player you’re wrong good picks good players or prospects it’s going to be a combination of them you’re going to get value for KD even in this current situation yep um the last thing I’ll continue to just point at is how his game continues to adapt being able to ascend to taking more threes and doing so without hitting a snag in his game process that is as valuable as anything because for what he might not get in twos from playing in pick and roll as much or playing in a post or playing in isolation as much if he goes to a new team he’ll make up for with three-point attempts and inevitably three-point makes and when he’s spaced teams are not going to leave him so imagine he’s in if he’s in San Antonio and it’s Darren Fox and um Victor Mama picking ro Kevin Durant passed away guess where there’s no help coming from and guess where that means dear Fox is likely going to be driving that’s a problem even if he’s not shooting or scoring the basketball even touching it you’re never going to just leave them and that’s going to always be an advantage for a team yeah Kevin Rancey ultimate advantage creator even as he gets older let us know what you think his value is down in the comments below hit that like button hit that subscribe button for those of you talking about Kell Wear in chat highly recommend you check out our conversation with Dais Duncan circling around that but let’s circle back to free agents sleepers the Suns could nab after trading Kevin Durant we’ve got some names you’ve already talked about plus some new ones for you all after our final break was blessed to be able to stop at Circle K circle into something else huh yeah circle into Circle K i was blessed blessed blessed after I went and I hooped a little bit yesterday i’m not afraid i’m not ashamed to admit it i played basketball outside it was hot i had to get myself a nice little electrolyte drink little protein bar afterwards stopped at my local Circle K which just so happens to be 10 seconds away from my house but if by any chance that Circle K was closed guess what there’s another one about another 10 seconds down another one another 10 seconds down they’re everywhere and you can save money go into Circle K with their free membership program it’s called the Inner Circle and it’s super easy to join you can do it in the next 30 seconds download the Circle K app put in your phone number and your email and boom you’re done you’re saving 25 cents off per gallon on your first five fillups 3 cents off per gallon every day after that plus a bunch of other member exclusive deals and discounts i got my electrolyte drink on a discount yesterday because of Circle K join the Inner Circle for free by downloading the Circle K app today terms and conditions apply at participating locations visit circlek.com for more details i’ve got picks for you on bet 365 you got finals going down tonight let me give you three picks that I’m putting in my PHNX give me Indiana Pacers plus four and a half points on the spread at home i got Lou Dort over two threes made or two plus threes made and then Tyrese Hallebertton 20 plus points it’s a three-lay parlay plus 575 over at bet 365 plus you can log in place your bet or sign up use code PHX365 deposit 10 and then of course you can get 115 bonus bets plus you can join their exclusive finals offers as well you must be 21 plus and physically located in Arizona if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help call 1800 nextep text nextep to 53342 or visit uh problemgambling.az.com all right let’s shift gears a little bit from Katie shout out everybody in the chat who is here talking about Katie with us if you’re a Suns fan we are live every day and we are going to dive into some free agent sleepers for the Suns to look into now some of these are names that that we’ve talked about uh recently Stephen some of them we’ll have graphics for some of them we’ll just be chatting let’s go uh in the order that you sent them to us earlier today a name I’m intrigued by let’s talk about Ben Simmons ben Simmons obviously a former number one overall pick and of course somebody who has been ridiculed by NBA Twitter for where his career has gone after that five points per game five points in six assists per game 4.7 rebounds per game shooting 52% from inside the arc first things first what type of contract do you feel like Ben Simmons demands in an open market this summer yeah that’s the I think that’s probably the overarching question for the entire league because if his number is low enough that he’ll have a significant amount of suitors because he brings a value that’s going to punch much further in impact than is than is a low contract for him might suggest he’s probably like low mid MLE type money right now you think he’s gonna get an MLE i think he might get it from a winning team i I honestly think that he’s he’s going to end up signing a Vetmin with a good team because I I think it’s going to be a prove it deal for for him i think he knows that he could get a good offer i don’t think the ML is going to be floated out there for him not a full Not the full partial or a low portion of it yeah i I I do think I do think it’s vet minimum what about on the Suns you know do do you see him as a player that that fits in well with Devin Booker is he too old to target this off seasonason for this team nope he is a solid bit of what they would probably need especially after a Durant trade you need somebody that can go and guard bigger fours you need someone that can switch and guard fives you need somebody that can just guard everybody quite literally and he can still do that effectively and impactfully but the other side of the ball as well for Ben Simmons i know everybody jump shot jump shot jump shot that’s cool understood what about the other stuff that he does extremely well as a screener if double if Deon Booker’s being double team Ben Simmons is screening for him if Ben Simmons is playing in four on threes and three on twos all game or able to just get downhill and play to his floater game below the free throw line that’s a ton of impact especially if it’s coming from someone that’s a reserve player on your team in addition to that I I will continue to tap the sign on this and you’ll see it more in this film session that’s in the works now whenever it comes out for you all jordan is going to be looking to have versatile front court pieces that can not just set screens and not just playing dribble handoffs but also can do a little bit with the ball in their hands themselves initiating offense at times to get Deon Booker off the ball and also do things like playing a short role with Deon Booker do things like run inverted picking roles and how that will allow for Deon Booker to be spaced or potentially even screening for him on the ball imagine little things like that all of those things hand the glove fits for Ben Simmons i don’t blame people for not wanting Ben Simmons i am not I’m not walking into this off season asking for the Suns to sign Ben Simmons as as a free agent that being said I I I don’t think he’s completely valueless orin says he’s not good at basketball i don’t agree he’s just firmly in the rotation for the Clippers guarding anyone from Jamal Murray to Nicole Joic and doing so well enough for them to push that series if I told you vet minimum player right versatile defensive wing forward you know can can guard fives low value high you five points per game 5.6 assists per game 4.7 rebounds per game mhm on a vet minimum contract you probably would take that and that was like how many minutes last season i don’t even know how many played 16.4 minutes for the Clippers last season in 16.4 minutes 55 and five basically shooting 50% from inside the ark again you’re not signing him to to solve a lot of your problems it’s more just like we need you know we need a a body and we think that you can do something interesting you know I I don’t love his fit next to Dunn i don’t love his fit next to Richards i don’t love his fit next to Oso he’s certainly not at the top of my list but I can talk myself into Ben Simmons Devin Booker twoman game Ben Simmons throwing outlet passes to to get things out fast um I I don’t blame people for saying no but I I wouldn’t be mad if they took a flyer on Simmons yeah um you just also got to look at the contract that we’re speaking to we’re not talking about him getting a crazy significant portion or percentage of what your team cap is going to be next season we’re talking about a buy low sell high type of guy yeah uh these are sleepers by letter by letter of the definition well I just I if he wants anything besides the ven minimum it’s an automatic no for me right i’m not nothing nothing more than than the vet minimum for from me for Ben Simmons uh which I I think that is how how he’s going to end up going to a good team i I don’t know if he ends up here in Phoenix i don’t know if it’s the best situation for him he probably wants a good payday sign a one-year vet and and try to up your valley value you know Taon style next leaper is one of the first free agents that we talked about is Gershon Yebisell 11 points per game 61.6% from two 38% from deep 5.6 26 rebounds per game 2.1 assists per game gershon feels like the least sleepery sleeper out of all that we’re going to talk about today i I think home run if you get him for a vet but he’ll probably go for more yeah he likely goes for more and even with what his more might be in terms of contract I still think he probably outputes that as well especially if the if the opportunity in terms of minutes total is there where I can kind of potentially see it being with this Suns team going into next season just a player that literally does everything brings a youthful exuberance to it as well that’s going to help to um get the get the fans involved more than anything else but also in addition to that raise the activity levels of the players on the court with Yeah and this is the type of player if you’re if you’re looking for somebody to get at a minimum or if you’re able to scrape together based off some moves some money to offer some people in free agency yoselli is a type of forward that fits with all the players I just said simmons doesn’t he could play alongside Nick Richards Oso Ryan Dunn he could play alongside Grayson Royce obviously you know Book in there as well book can play alongside almost anybody um Andy says “I’d give Yaboo or MLE I think would be under the apron after the KD trade.” Um that that’s a piece where if you’re if you’re trading let’s say KD to the Heat you get Kell Wear Andrew Wiggins and you know Duncan Robinson whoever it might be to make the money work plus the 20th pick you know plus a future pick and you put out a starting lineup of somebody at the one Book Dunn and he can go Wiggins at the four you can go Gershon at the four either way one of those guys will be coming off the bench kell at the five your bench squad then looks like Royce Grayson Wiggins Richard Oso or or Dunn as well and Beal and and Beiel is obviously the kind of caveat in there yabiselli fits in fits in every single every single lineup the Suns could put out with their combinations of players that they have and and even after a KD trade there’s not many players he doesn’t fit well alongside for sure he’s a player like I like I was saying versatility can play the four can play the five on offense and defense and do so effectively and efficiently and in ways that should help to unlock and insulate Deon Booker on both sides too yeah little less versatility on this end but still a very valuable player somebody who I don’t know if they’ll go for the vet minimum but I do love their game amir Coffee let’s talk Amamir Coffee 9.7 points per game 52.9 two-point percentage uh three-point percentage is 50.9% uh 40.9% for three-point percentage sorry 2.2 rebounds per game 1.1 assists per game uh overall field goal percentage was 89.1% this is something there’s a little bit of overlap at the shooting guard position but can slide down to the three or the the four uh an overall valuable piece i would slot him definitely below Gershon though i would slide him below Gershon too but no different than Gershon but in a way that’s unique to him because he’s not he doesn’t have the the physical stats that that Gershon has he can’t go up to guard fives and he doesn’t guard fours as effective either but the versatility to guard one through three effectively you can throw him on wings you can throw him on guards you can throw him on point of attack guys you can expect for him to do his job defending the scheme well give you a little bit more than what the scheme is asking for too and then on the offensive end as you can see by a 40.9% clip from deep can also knock down the shots that he’s inevitably going to be conceded with the roster that’s headed by Deon Booker you know to go back to Gershon’s stats because you you mentioned comparing there i remember saying this when we first talked about Yabiselli those stats 11 points per game 5.6 six rebounds 2.1 assists per game if Philly was healthy if Paul George and Joel Embiid were healthy and they were competing those stats they’d be going down it’s it’s because the the Sixers were bad those stats go up i wonder if his market is as robust as somebody who would usually average those points because Amir Coffee you think about it the Clippers were always competing this year they have so many wings right just a bunch of wings that go out there whether it’s Derrick Jones Ben Simmons Kawhi Leonard Amir Coffee right so his 9.7 points per game to me hold a little bit more weight as well and he’s also somebody that I think could play alongside Grayson and play alongside Royce i I love Air Coffey’s fit i I don’t think though he’ll be in the Sun’s price range because I don’t think he’s gotten a good payday yet do you think he’s going to get it now i think I think he I think there’s an opportunity you shoot 40% from three average 10 points per game as a wing i there might be a chance that you that somebody throws you a big chunk or or maybe all of your MLE if they’re desperate i don’t know if he’s all of just I don’t know if he’s all of ML but he’s gonna get a portion of it he’s gonna get portion of it for sure yeah I don’t think he’s I can see a team like Minnesota that might have more cap room throwing a flyer in there for him because they’re probably not going to have until Alexander Walker going in next i like Coffey’s fit in Minnesota unfortunately uh next one is is an interesting guy bruce Brown 8.3 points per game four rebounds per game two assists per game shot 45.2% 2% from two 33.3% from deep just about a steal per game as well obviously kind of a lost season for Bruce Brown i think a lot of people look at New Orleans Pelicans forward Bruce Brown and there’s a little bit of of shock there is he somebody that that maybe takes a vet minimum to try to revamp his value considering that he was a very high paid player at one point in this league i imagine he’s the type of player that the Suns will be able to bring into their team going into next season and there’s a billion and one reasons why I like Bruce Brown as a player but specific to the Suns and obviously around the context of Devin Booker another thing that that Jordan and the Cleveland Cavaliers cycle through plenty especially in the playoffs last season smalls screening for guards so guard guard screens bruce Brown one of the best in the last like four or five years going back to his time with Brooklyn as well as his time with the with the obviously the Denver Nuggets and his time after the championship run with the Nuggets with the Indiana Pacers who are now here in the finals his ability to just be a combo guard in a literal sense both on the ball and off the ball screening receiving screens posting up entering the ball in the post and the shot profile as well knocking down catch and shoot threes being an elite guy with floers all of those little things and that’s just the offensive end but on the defensive end he brings a ton of things too too expensive do you think or do you think I think a vet because of the fall off recently they And that’s that’s the thing because of how last season went a lot of it because of injury more than anything else they might be able to get a flyer in the actual room for him before he gets to the finish line as far as trying to bring him in potentially yeah andy says “Do you think Bruce would go for less to win in like OKC though?” God Bruce Brown OKC sounds terrifying uh he might he might er on minutes though because if he goes Oklahoma City they have players that play the same role case Wallace is already there al Caruso before anybody else is already there as well so what are the minutes going to look like and can he get a payday off of that minutes total he’s going to have or does he on winning like you said well and and that’s also interesting with the Suns you know the Tai experiment not working out might hurt them in this case where a team will look at hey I got one year am I going to hitch my wagon to Jordan and the Suns after what happened last year opportunity is what I continue to opportunity it’s a balance of opportunity money and what he’s looking at long term you know I I I think that he’s somebody that is a sneaky on the radar guy for for the Suns i I wouldn’t put my money on it though uh next one might be in line for a bigger payday than Bruce Brown much to some people’s surprises jake Laravia 6.9 points per game nice 3.9 rebounds per game 2.4 four assists per game shooting 51.3% from two 42.3% from deep just about a steal per game as well from the Sacramento Kings for those who are unaware of Jake Laravia’s game Stephen why is he somebody that the Suns might not be able to afford this summer because he’s so young and he showed so much when he got to Sacramento after the stint with the Memphis Grizzlies and the winning plays that he was just able to come up with time and time again that’s just as simple as it gets being 6’8 can guard one through four do so effectively can play as a six-man type of guy he’s not going to be your true six-man but he can punch up to that weight class can start in a pinch for you as well plays complimentary to any type of starter whether it be a post player or a wing or a guard he’s the type of player that most teams are looking for right now and it’s still a surprise to many that Memphis even traded him in the first place yeah bigger shooter could play alongside Dunn also Richards if you make a trade for for Wiggins he fits alongside Wiggins as well i like him we won’t spend too much time on Jake Loravia here’s a name that we haven’t mentioned yet larry Nance Jr love this name 8.5 points per game 58.2% from two 44.7% from deep 4.3 rebounds per game 1.6 assists per game i would love Larry Nance to add to this big man rotation if the Suns were competing especially but I I still think he could bring you solid minutes i I do think he won’t go for the minimum though i think he’ll be closer to some part of the MLE yeah he might be a little bit out of their price range but Nance is a player that you have to consider health with when you bring him in but when he is healthy the impact is there defensively offensively in a connecting style of way on both ends of the court gives you a switch big gives you a big that can initiate sometimes playing dribble handoffs with Deon Booker there’s a lot to like about Larry Nes Jr definitely like it the the four five versatility with him as well i I do wonder if it’s worth you know I know we say like you need a big man or or or whatever if it’s worth putting in money at another non-starting level like center you know Simmons is a little different because of the the playmaking aspect he can fit into a little bit of a different role offensively nance I I like Nance i don’t like him as a piece especially if you’re trading for a Kell Wear or something like that maybe having a a vet big down low and and Nance would be good i I like him in theory the more I think about it the more I wonder if if he’s worth the the roster spot on a team that’s that’s not competing here next year yeah I I understand that part um but I think that I think more than anything he’s a piece that fits for what for what Jordan is going to want to be doing on both ends of the court going into next season though he might not be able to do the offensive things to the extent that Ben Simmons does he can still operate in a lot of those contexts similarly did they ever cross over nans I don’t think they think N was gone already yeah I think N was gone too all right let’s keep it rolling another Eastern Conference role player Sam Merrill 7.2 points per game 62.5 from two 37.2% from deep 2.2 rebounds per game 1.5 assists per game uh not good enough to be in the white boy of the year contention status but but still a solid role player before we get your thoughts on him Stephen let me remind everybody who is watching us on TV the party always continues over at gophnx.com which means it’s time for overtime here on PHNX Suns strap in hit that like button hit that subscribe button as well we appreciate so many of you hopping in here on a Friday one of our bigger Friday audiences in a while uh hit that like button remember we’ve got a ton for you a Nikkias Duncan interview up on our channel audio and video my trending pod on the Sun’s Failing Katie on audio and video breaking news pods whenever Katie gets traded plus I might might record a little something from home for you this weekend just because I like all of you especially all of you live in chat love how active uh the chat has been recently including the super chat from Soul Finton 199 super chat from Soul thank you so much soul says “Wouldn’t mind seeing Mark Bryant on the Suns bench of course a former Phoenix Suns assistant coach uh possibly bringing back but I think Jordan also might want to start fresh.” He’s definitely going to want to start fresh and I think it’ll be a breath of fresh air for the Suns franchise to have some new faces around on the the uh coaching staff in particular yeah I don’t think that’s on Mark Bryant i like Mark Bryant the same way I liked David Fdale as an assistant but you got to let the new guy come in and do what he really wants to do especially for his his first coaching gig but uh Mark Bryant’s good shout mark Bryant will continue to be an assistant coach in this league for for a long time back to Sam Merrill uh vetman guy or higher you might be able to sneak him in on a vetmin because his numbers took a little bit of a hit last season with uh with the Cavaliers he had a a very rough stretch around like the middle portion of the schedule had some injuries he was dealing with as well his rhythm was a little thrown off but he also lost some minutes as well because of the depth that the Cavaliers had last season and they brought in pieces in DeAndre Hunter and Javvante Green at the trade deadline as well so kind of chipped away at his ability to kind of punch out of that rut that he was in still provided impact and I think for more than anything for the Suns in particular because he because he has experience with Jordan having a player with familiarity in the system and the principles that he’s going to want to play to on offense while not being a full liability on the defensive end as well that familiarity typically lends itself to players getting another opportunity and it might just be a pro deal for him in an event that Grayson is traded and or Royce has traded need more shooters and Sam Miro never been shy about letting it fly are you worried about the defensive stuff no because he held up in the system with Jordan not albeit he might not necessarily have Allen and Moy he held up well enough on the other end when he was with the Cavaliers to where it wasn’t we can’t play this guy it wasn’t and this no disrespect to Titus but it wasn’t Titus Jones levels last season where he’s getting pinpointed and we just have no way to go around it yep I hear you where would you put him as far as comparing him to guys like you know Jake Lavia Bruce Brown Amamir Coffee that that play similar positions to him and bring some similar stuff he’s probably more attainable just because his his role was a lot lower than those other guys last season and he’s just going to be kind of on prove it type of basis as well so I can see him being a little bit more attainable and I also think that he provides values that those guys maybe don’t to the extent that he can as a small screener as well being able to ghost and then playing and shooting and things like that off of that yeah I I like him as a as a fit would love him if if we were still contending yeah as a as a bench piece delano Banton i This is a name that I think you and I are both really really excited about the prospect of the Suns being able to snag him because of the the potential there 8.3 points per game shooting 44.2% from two 32.4% from deep 2.4 assists per game two rebounds per game stats don’t jump off the page but the eye test Stephen says that that this guy is a type of guard that would thrive next to Deon Booker yeah the eye test definitely says it and also looking at if he’s if you take his minutes and the pockets of time he was given last season and you put it to a per 36 model he’s averaging 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks obviously he’s not going to be playing 36 minutes per se but he’s going to be playing more in terms of role and opportunity with the Suns than he did last season with the Portland Trailblazers and because of that I think that there’s more opportunity for his defense to have an impact that he maybe didn’t have with Portland and naturally lending itself to his offense having more impact as well yeah I I love Banton’s fit i I think he’s a great player in this league going forward not a star but but will carve out a nice little career orin says “Someone will give Banton money.” That is definitely the the concern with with that and opportunity yeah opportunity i think I’m sure whoever’s going to be throwing him money will probably give him an opportunity potentially might not be as much of a minutes total that the Suns could potentially give too because they just don’t have a point guard outside of Deon Booker if you look at him as a point guard on the roster right now you think he starts uh Banton i don’t think he’ll start but I think he could get a significant amount of minutes off the bench probably get 18 to 20 yeah last name here AJ Mitchell 6.5 points per game 54.8% from two 38.3% from deep 1.8 assists per game 1.9 rebounds per game aj Mitchell not a household name by by any means but is somebody that could bring some value to the Suns yeah if there’s anything to learn is that when the opportunity comes to get a player that’s coming from the Oklahoma City Thunder choice in picks but coming from spending time with their team over the last couple years if it’s a position you have room at you should probably be interested because those players have been groomed a certain type of way aj Mitchell gets in in probably almost exclusively garbage time in this last season what does he do paint touch after paint touch after bucket after bucket after assist after pull up three after assist yeah like there’s certain players that you can tell okay they’re not playing because they’re on a team that has a a crazy type of depth to their game to their roster he’s a player I feel like they can come in and have impact with another team no no he’s not starting caliber but he is a player that can carve out a niche with a team not unlike Banton that can play an 18 to 20 minute role and have impact in doing so also not a small guard either in any capacity okay so let’s put all these names together ben Simmons Gershan Yabuselli Amir Coffee Bruce Brown Jake Loravia Larry Nance Sam Merrill Delanto Banton and AJ Mitchell where do you rank your top three choices for the Suns to target looking at the name list again give me one second simmons Yabusellle Coffee Brown Lorravia Nance Merrill Banton Mitchell as far as realistic yeah let’s go realistic let’s go Bruce Brown Sam Merrill and then a tie between Ben and um Mitchell ben and Mitchell i think Banton is is maybe on the more unrealistic side i I think Banton would be my one if I thought he can get him for the for the minimum i think Banton’s pretty unrealistic just because of the prospects there but I I think Nance is certainly somebody who’s a little bit more realistic and I also I I love Amamir Coffeeoffe i I think if Air Coffee goes for a minimum that would be awesome uh Yabuselli I just don’t think goes for the minimum he did he did the bet on himself that’s what I did yep yeah i I think Yabuselli inflated stats from a bad team last season i did this same Mike i forgot to answer you earlier i did i did it i knew about it already though i knew about it back in the back in his Boston days that’s where the name derived from so yeah shout out to you for knowing that though i don’t I don’t know if that’s what this is this Yeah that’s a whole another I’m not referencing they brought it up last time i’m not I think I might have shown it i’m not delving into I don’t I don’t know if that’s what he’s referencing yeah the nonsense i’m not rolling into that one okay final thoughts on on everything you’re welcome but that’s crazy all right final thoughts on a jam-packed Friday edition of PHNX Suns uh Kevin Rant trade soon kevin R trade value maybe higher than people think free agent Friday how are you feeling going into the weekend um optimistic i’m just curious about when it’s going to happen what deal is it what teams are involved what the Suns are getting back in return and how that sets them up for this retool that they’re looking to retool by also getting back into the playoffs with this is their best opportunity to set Jordan up for as much success as he possibly can but also position Deon Booker as best as they can with the things that are under their control at the moment okay how about you i feel stressed but that’s just kind of the way it is uh because I’m just ready for this i’m ready for this trade to happen it’s just it’s been building up wow factor says “Eric you going live tomorrow if he’s traded or on Sunday?” Yeah when Kevin Durant’s traded we’re going live that there’s no if ends or buts about it we will be live breaking news podcast if we’re at home we’re going live from home if we’re here we’re going live from here that is just what we do so as this builds builds up as that anxiety is building the excitement is building the rumors are bursting out you know where to go when the news does break and that’s right here on PHNX Sports and PHNX Suns this ain’t Mike says “I need to talk to Starman again.” Uh the Zodiac GM i’ll have to wait until Kevin Rance’s gone if I don’t want to be called a clown again but appreciate you Mike Mark Orin Ted Wow Factor a Soldier Nate Bees so many of our friends Sewatch shout out to the Rockets fans Generational Hater George Young that have all been in the chat as well you’re all very much appreciated and you’re all welcome of course tune to PHX Cardinals at 4:30 we’ll have you covered over the weekend as well we got Freckled Mamba in the chat too i mean wow what what a day for everybody is that you Eritton is that Is that actually you that is the freckled mamba that’s the freckled mamba with Stephen A smith with a Deon Booker jersey and Deon Booker hat i have a I have a theory by the way about Eritton i think Eritton is a Kevin Durant reply guy on a burner i I I think I have a theory and he denies it but I I think he’s a KD reply guy if I had one you’d never find out anyway oh that’s what somebody who had one would say well if you don’t want to follow his burner you can follow Eritton making all the magic behind the Mac at freckledmamba of course you can follow the show at phnxonss that’s on Twitter and on Instagram we don’t just recycle the same content on those two by the way so they’re both worth follows to keep you up to date with what’s going on on the Suns and everything else as well uh Girth Jr says “When is Gerald coming back?” You might want to tune in on Monday that’s all we’ll say okay you can follow Stephen don’t call him Steve at StevenPG3 check out PHNX Mercury from earlier today nikkias Duncan on the entire PHNX Mercury podcast and then of course we have our Nikkias Duncan interview on the Miami Heat side of things also live on audio and video right now you can follow me at Rik Ruby we just want to be here for Suns fans as this is an exciting terrifying time all rolled into one we just want to be here for you no matter what so hit that like button so we can keep the lights on hit that subscribe button so we can keep the lights on hit that fivestar review so we can keep the lights on and we’ll talk to you probably tonight or Saturday or Sunday hell whenever a trade happens [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Kevin Durant’s trade value has been constantly debated by Phoenix Suns fans and others.

What is he actually worth?

Erik and Stephen dive into it by comparing his age, stats and injury status from when he got traded by the Brooklyn Nets, to this summer.

PHNX Suns also gets into free agent sleepers Phoenix should target to pair next to Devin Booker after a potential KD trade.

Follow the show @PHNX_Suns, @StephenPG3, @Erik Ruby & @FreckledMamba!

0:00 – Intro
2:51 – The Kevin Durant Trade Bubble is About to Burst
23:58 – What Really is KD’s Value?
44:00 – Free Agent Sleepers

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