Could Kevin Durant stay with the Phoenix Suns?

kd is still the topic of the day Still thinking Gambo still thinking that something is going to happen this week with Kevin Durant and that we might be entering the final stretch of the story that feels like it’s we’ve been talking about it almost non-stop It feels like for the last week or so Off days for the NBA Finals would be today tomorrow and then Friday Yeah And and we were talking about this I’m glad you brought that up We were talking about this behind closed doors in the prep room before the show Look if the story gets out it gets out If it gets leaked it gets leaked There’s only so much the NBA can do to control that right i highly doubt Adam Silver would want this news getting out on the day of game six of the NBA Finals which is Thursday Like like it it just it it just seems like that is counterintuitive to counterprogram themselves like that by having news I mean it’s already got to the point where they’re talking more about Kevin Durant where he’s going to go than these finals themselves I don’t think the league would actively want this stuff to get out on the day of an NBA Finals game especially when it could be I mean nothing against Desmond Bane but we’re talking about Kevin Durant here Okay Desmond Bane was a big trade but we’re talking about Kevin Durant It’ll be hard not for everybody to turn their focus of attention to where Kevin Durant is going once this is announced So Brian Windhorst was on ESPN Cleveland today and if you just you know in the last segment of the show we were talking about the Suns maybe trying to convince Kevin Durant to rethink his opposition to Minnesota The offers so far are underwhelming from Houston and San Antonio and Miami He Brian today went there and he he listened to the very end of this 45se secondond soundbite because he went there It’s a real staredown You know Desmond Bane got traded for four first round picks And I see people saying “Oh my god if Desmond Bane gets traded for four first round picks Kevin Durant’s got to be get you got to get six first round picks.” No you’re not going to get that great of a package because the team paying for it isn’t sure what Durant’s going to do necessarily And the teams that Durant wants to go to Houston and San Antonio for example they’re lary of give paying a huge amount for a 37y old Their whole teams are in their early to mid20s right you know so you don’t have alignment in making everybody getting on the same page You know what Durant wants what the Suns need what the teams want to pay right with the contract I would not rule out the Suns not being able to get a trade they like and having to make a decision like do we not trade him at all and there it is The Suns don’t get an offer they like and they don’t trade him Is that what’s the benefit there is that even on our Well the benefit is that he becomes essentially an expiring contract for you right the benefit is exactly what we were talking about yesterday by trading him to a team that he doesn’t want to go to and it basically amounts to a massive salary dump Basically you keep Kevin Durant it turns into a massive salary dump And you have the trade deadline You could always move at the deadline if you wanted to If there’s a team Kevin Durant came to Phoenix at the trade deadline Yep And there’s a you know now I’m sure I I would imagine at this point and I’m just guessing here Kevin Durant is more than ready to leave that Kevin Durant might not want to stay at this point anymore I know what EJ said a few weeks ago about about staying with the Suns on the Bickley and Marada show but I I got to imagine at this point KD is probably quite ready to hit the eject button and get out of here and not be around anymore You can’t make a bad trade You can’t make a trade that brings on salary you don’t want You can’t make a trade that gives you a two or three years of a guy that you don’t really like and you don’t really want and you can’t move somewhere else You are better off just playing it for a year and then getting off But you know you’re you’re 15 million over the apron This isn’t going to help you you know as far as getting under the apron in a trade Uh it’s not going to help you at all You’d probably still be an apron team with Booker and and Durant And then uh God for God forbid you get stuck with Peele God forbid Like I know they don’t want Beal but he’s speaking for an entire city with Oh man They don’t want him either but like they’re they’re handcuffed They got to have him work with them uh to get out of here So I I am fascinated by that that well I mean we’ll see how it plays out I still think that they’re going to be able to get a deal done There’s six teams you know that are interested in Kevin Durant to some capacity I think you’ll be able to find a good deal that you like I actually like the Timberwolves deal Like I I actually like it Um uh I’m not saying it’s a home run I’m not saying it’s a home run but it’s it’s it’s not a it’s not a walk I mean it’s a it’s a little bit it’s better than that The suggested Minnesota deal is like a go bear dancenzo younger player A younger player in a draft pick Yeah Could you get Dillingham could you get Shannon get the 17th pick Um I I I I don’t I don’t mind that at all Uh that’s a that’s a long time to be stuck on that Gobear contract though It’s it’s it’s a long it’s a long time to be Yeah I know He’s a great defense Like he made Minnesota a top five defense Like he makes he he protects Booker and everybody else who can’t defend on this basketball team by having a guy there like that He is great defensively He can’t score hurt you offensively Can’t play some fourth quarters because spacing He takes away the space because he can’t go out and pop a shot You’d have to have a stretch five that you could mix and match with him So I understand the negatives of Rudy Gobear but there are positives He’s one of the great defensive players in the history of the game and he’s so good Um so I don’t mind Gob Bear I think a lot of people don’t want Gob Bear I get it I I He’s got a trade He’s got Mitch is pointing out to me on teams He’s got a trade kicker too Yeah You might be able to negotiate that out if you It’s possible you can negotiate those out I like Jabari Smith If you make a deal with Houston I like Jabari Smith I’ve always liked Jabari Smith I mean you may not like Jaylen Green but I think there should be a deal to be made But to I can’t rule that out I can’t I mean I don’t know I mean would the Phoenix Suns just say “Screw it Have we talked to six teams for two weeks and we can’t make a deal we want well we’re going to stick with Kevin.” How do you bring Kevin Durant back i I I don’t I don’t know how you bring Kevin And And again I I think you do have to factor into you know does Kevin Durant want to come back or has he made it clear that he wants no part of this anymore And and look this is where this this is where I I know there was a headline in the Arizona Republic today AC Central about the Suns lowering their price on Kevin Durant I don’t know if it’s a lowering the price or if it’s just more of a kind of getting used to the reality that you’re you’re just it’s not going to be a great deal right like you just hope it’s a good deal You hope it’s a good enough deal But if you feel like the offers just aren’t where they should be from Houston or San Antonio or Miami and he doesn’t acquies and he wants to go to Minnesota I mean unless you just if Toronto comes through at the last minute or the Clippers the Toronto deal you do the Toronto deal RJ Barrett terrible contract Yaka Purle and the ninth pick in the draftley Quickly don’t like Barrett Don’t like Quickly Yaka’s a top 20 center in the league He’s a better backup on most teams um than he is a starter but he could start on seven or eight or nine team I I hate the Toronto deal The only thing you like is the ninth pick So I talked to an I talked to an NBA executive on another team today He’s He said it’s a two team It’s a two-player draft It’s Flag and Harper Then it’s 2 to8 Your next round is 2 to8 After eight nine and 17 are the same similar players They’re similar players What you would get at nine what you would get at 14 what you would get at 17 is a similar player The Toronto deal is one I don’t like at all That’s if they make the Toronto deal I’m going to tell you right now I don’t like the deal I think it’s a terrible deal I would say that the Suns are big losers if they make that Toronto deal just I think at this point we need to be prepared to be underwhelmed Be prepared to be underwhelmed by this We’ll see But this this this is this whole thing is kind of taking a tone that I like a shift in tone that I just I don’t love over the last 24 hours Whether it’s the Minnesota thing the lack of great offers from the other teams this idea now they could just keep him I I it’s it’s I don’t like the tone of how this conversation is going Thanks for watching Burns and Gambo Click to see more from the guys and hit the button in the middle to subscribe so you never miss a video from Arizona Sports

Burns & Gambo discuss the latest news surrounding the Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant and if there’s a way Durant doesn’t leave the Valley.

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23 comments

  2. 6 highest scoring in NBA 27pts a game on 50% shooting and 40% from 3.
    Yeah, you keep him unless you get exactly what you want.
    Don't care where, best offer, or keep him, period.

  6. I would much rather the Suns keep KD for one more year & let him walk at the end of the season, rather than make a bad trade for someone like KAT. At least KD's contract would come off the books at the end of the season. The last thing the Suns should do is bring on anymore bad contracts!

  8. What's going on here is Houston and San Antonio are colluding with one another. They know that they are the only ones he will go to so they're just holding tight to screw the suns. That's why you don't trade Kevin Durant. Just keep him to say screw you you pricks. Have fun getting past OKC for the next 4 years. You can't allow other teams to out right screw you with their collusion. Just say hey we got a coach whose not an idiot like Bud or Vogel this year. So we're gonna see what a good coach could have done with those 3. And tell Durant that he has to play out his contact. You cannot allow other teams to utterly rape you in a trade. Have fun Houston with your lack of fire power and have fun San Antonio continuing to be a re building team.

    Everyone is so far below OKC in youth and talent anyway. I thought the pacers this year were a stacked young team. What team is even like them? Suns aren't doing anything this year anyway. Just use his 50 million to get 3 young good players after next year. There's no rush with where the top teams in the league are now. Noone is touching them the least of all the suns . I personally would like to see how the suns would be playing fast. Because Bud was clueless with no offense he had them playing into the last 8 seconds of the shot clock for most of the time. Your not gonna get a good shot playing late into the shot clock. Just look at why the pacers lost last night. They were getting shots late in the shot clock while OKC was playing fast. 7 seconds or less is still the idiom of the NBA. Dantoni is still the pioneer of the modern NBA. Maybe Ott can put him on as a consultant along with Nash.

    Screw Durant. Get someone in here who can play defense? You play defense you prick. And you play fast if your really that valuable. If not then you're too slow for the league and get the hell out. Or drop your contact down to 20 because other teams are ruling with 2 max guys who can run and play defense and the rest 10 to 20 guys who can run fast and play defense.

  9. The Toronto deal is better than any other deal I’ve heard from Houston or San Antonio. Quickley, Barrett and Poetl would all be starters. Houston and SA want to send us another shooting guard

  10. If the Suns non guarantee Martin and decline Micic' PO, they'll be under the 2nd apron and only $10 mil over the 1st apron. People are still making it seem like the 2nd apron is this massive roadblock, but trading Nurk and the cap going up basically took care of that.

  12. At this point take the Toronto deal, RJ Poeltl and 9. They're young enough and fit Booker's time line, maybe trade 9 to nets for multiple picks like 19 and 26 maybe another swap?

  13. I don't believe Kevin Durant has any leverage. If he wants a max contract, he pretty much has to sign with whatever team ends up with him. With this modern CBA, nobody has cap space to sign a max player.

  14. I'm okay keeping him. You could offer KD an extension; if he signs it, there's a good chance that he becomes more tradable. If he doesn't sign it and walks, the Suns finally get cap relief. Or move him at the deadline.

  22. The suns can’t keep him and everyone knows that. With that being said, eventually a team will up their offer to get the deal done and the Suns also know that. It’s be dumb for the rockets or spurs to pass on KD just because they’re being stingy not wanting to include an additional pick. This is Kevin Durant we’re talking about. It’ll happen

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