If you’re waking up on Thursday morning with your jaw on the floor, you’re not the only one.
The Brooklyn Nets are tearing their team to the ground. After trading Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks, they’re sending Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster deal.
And for the Suns? They didn’t have to send some of their robust core to Brooklyn in exchange.
It’s a HUGE move for the contending Suns in a winable West, and the Nets are now in the midst of a complete restart.
So who won and lost in this deal? Let’s break it all down with some grades:
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The details
Suns get: Kevin Durant and TJ Warren
Nets get: Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four unprotected first-round picks (2023, 20225, 2027 and 2029), plus a pick swap in 2028
Phoenix Suns
My reaction when waking up to this: You’re telling me the Suns dealt for one of the five best players in the NBA right now and DIDN’T have to trade Deandre Ayton? And now they’re going to put KD with him AND Devin Booker?
Holy moly.
This makes a contending team that much stronger, and it covers up for Chris Paul’s declining play. The pressure is off the veteran point guard as the Suns try to contend in what feels like a wide-open West despite the Nuggets’ dominance. Bringing back Warren feels like an afterthought but he’ll be a great addition to the bench.
But if the Suns were going all in after being so close in recent years, now’s the time to do it. Durant, Booker, Ayton and CP3 are a formidable group. Even thought they’ll miss Bridges and Johnson — Crowder was holding out til now! — obviously if you have the chance to acquire KD, you do it.
GRADE: A-
Brooklyn Nets
First off, to go from Durant, Irving and James Harden to … this, it’s just disheartening. What could have been.
But on to the return on KD: Bridges and Johnson are terrific and have developed so well in recent years. But in trading a megastar like Durant, you’d hope for, say, Deandre Ayton.
As for Crowder?
The Nets are expected to explore trade scenarios for Jae Crowder ahead of today's 3 PM ET deadline, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023
Maybe that won’t be the only additional trade.
Here’s the thing: The Nets roster is littered with intriguing supporting players and no superstar, kind of like where they were before Durant and Irving. It’s not the worst place to be — and unprotected future picks are always a good gamble, just ask the Nets themselves with the infamous Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce deal — but it means any shot at contention is out the window.
So as far as resets go, this isn’t the worst. Maybe my grade is biased by the bummer that is seeing a team with so much hope just get torn down.
GRADE: B
