With the Nets reportedly dealing guard Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks Sunday afternoon to end his tumultuous four-year tenure with the team, other teams are beginning to sniff around Brooklyn’s big fish.
One such team is the Suns, who “are prepared to pursue” Nets forward Kevin Durant “should he become available,” according to a Sunday afternoon report from Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report.
This isn’t the first time trade speculation has connected Durant with the desert. When reports surfaced that the future Hall of Famer had asked for a trade from Brooklyn on June 30, Haynes reported that Durant had Phoenix listed as a preferred destination.
No such trade came to fruition, and Durant remained on the Nets to begin 2023. Amid a spate of controversies—most notably Irving’s antisemitic post and the team’s aborted hiring of ex-Celtics coach Ime Udoka—Brooklyn managed to start 32–20, good enough for fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the Suns have gamely fought through injuries to guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul to start 29–26, fifth in the Western Conference and a half-game behind the fourth-place Clippers.
