On Wednesday, February 8th, 2023 after over 3 – turbulent years as well as a 2nd – trade request over the course of the past 8 – months, the Brooklyn Nets finally agreed upon terms to trade their superstar All – NBA guard/forward, Kevin Durant, to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a big package that includes the dynamic forward, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder as well as 4 – unprotected future first – round NBA draft picks.

Trade Details

The intricate well negotiated NBA blockbuster trade details on this deal that took place during the late – night hours just prior to this Thursday, February 9th, 2023 trade deadline expiring at 3 p. m. ET, sends both Kevin Durant and T. J. Warren to the Phoenix Suns for a huge asset loaded package going to the Brooklyn Nets that includes Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, 1st – round NBA draft picks in the years of 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 as well as a 2028 pick swap.

Prior to this deal getting done the negotiations had progressed and stalled over and over again, and the Phoenix Suns seemed to be swiveling toward a 3 – team agreement that might have landed them the Atlanta Hawk’s John Collins sometime on the morning of Thursday, February 9th, 2023.

On the direction of the new owner of the Phoenix Suns, Mat Ishbia and the Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones who texted the Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks sometime past 11:00 p. m. ET, and it would not be much longer until Ishbia and the Brooklyn Nets owner, Joe Tsai, to piece together the final components of this latest NBA blockbuster trade.

The Brooklyn Nets stars all demanded trades and they got what they wished for…

…as this deal sends Durant to the desert of Arizona in order to partner up with Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton which ends the Brooklyn Nets great superstar compilation experiment in New York. Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden all arrived to dominate the NBA on the court together for short period of time together, and they all left on the power of their individual trade requests. All of those NBA superstars ultimately played a total of 16 – NBA regular – season games with one another.

After bearing a huge role in the dysfunction that eventually deconstructed the Brooklyn Nets roster, Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, February 5th, 2023 which ultimately initiated the final ticks on the clock of Durant as a Brooklyn Net. The two – time NBA Finals MVP award winner, who has been subsequently sidelined by an MCL sprain in his right knee, is expected to be ready to return to game action prior to the NBA All – Star break.

The Phoenix Suns Desires to make their Team an NBA Powerhouse

Durant along with his business manager and agent, Rich Kleiman, explained to Tsai and Marks that their ideal situation involved a trade to the Phoenix Suns. Ishbia was well – aware of Kevin’s yearning to join the NBA franchise of the Phoenix Suns, and he set out to scoop up the superstar guard/forward no matter what it took during his initial week of overseeing the Phoenix Suns organization. There are a very small minority of NBA franchises that ever get the chance to trade for a such a superstar basketball player like Durant, and it is similar to the last time the Phoenix Suns were able to acquire such talent as when they trade for the superstar player in Charles Barkley way back in 1992.

Ishbia’s overall intuition was keeping Mikal Bridges out of this NBA blockbuster trade, but that was a non – starting player for the Brooklyn Nets. The Phoenix Suns offers were not even coming close to the Brooklyn Nets’ asking value on Monday and Tuesday, so Marks had to keep working on possible trade scenarios in order to strengthen the deal around Durant.

The Brooklyn Nets pursued O. G. Anunoby in Toronto with the Raptors, and they discussed the potential trades for Collins as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Caris LeVert, but Durant’s mood was disturbed and the Brooklyn Nets knew this pushing them to finalize the deal with the Phoenix Suns in an agreement that they could not refuse.

The Phoenix Suns were in talks with the Detroit Pistons regarding the possibility of acquiring Collins via a 3 – way trade / deal with the Atlanta Hawks, but Ishbia would not go out in the night without a fight to acquire one of the best basketball players in the world in Kevin Durant.

Once the Phoenix Suns were prepared to move Dario Saric’s contract out of the negotiations, and they were willing to spare themselves the surrender of the 2nd – round NBA picks in order to account for his salary, the teams were right on the verge of closing the deal.

The Brooklyn Nets hopes to move Jae Crowder onto an NBA contender before Thursday, February 9th, 2023’s NBA trade deadline, and with that notion there it presented itself in the shape of an agreement that made a lot of sense to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Phoenix Suns did indeed pay a pretty penny for Durant, but their NBA franchise has never won an NBA championship before, and they ultimately decided that this was their best chance to win one with the 34 – year – old Durant, who is under contract for an additional 3 – more years to come.

The Brooklyn Nets probably were most likely not good enough to win an NBA championship title this year anyways, and they had no other choice but to adhere to another trade request from Durant. After giving up multiple 1st – round NBA draft picks to the Houston Rockets in exchange for James Harden back in 2021, the Brooklyn Nets basically made themselves whole again by getting NBA draft selections via trades that ultimately got rid of Durant, Irving, and Harden, 7 – tradable 1st – round picks over the course of the next 7 – seasons.

The Brooklyn Nets still owe the Houston Rockets their 1st – round NBA draft selections in 2024 and 2026, and the Houston Rockets have the ability to swap 1st – rounders in 2025 and 2027 as well.

The Brooklyn Nets have shown their true colors in order to be a scouting and player development apparatus throughout the regime of Marks and their assistant general manager, Jeff Peterson, and that they will be the back on top again with their head coach, Jacque Vaughn. The Brooklyn Nets have always hoped that they could get Kevin Durant to stay the course, but he wanted to go West to the Phoenix Suns as soon as Kyrie Irving left their NBA franchise to join the Dallas Mavericks earlier this week.

Finally on the night of Wednesday, February 8th, 2023 Ishbia refused go to bed, and he had his general manager make one more attempt at finalizing a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, and it eventually worked out. The Phoenix Suns ultimately got Durant, and the National Basketball Association trade deadline was well and alive during the early hours of the night.

Basketball Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards

  • 2 – Time NBA Champion (2017, 2018)
  • 2 – Time NBA Finals MVP Award Winner (2017, 2018)
  • NBA Most Valuable Player Award Winner (2014)
  • 13 – Time NBA All – Star Selection (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023)
  • 2 – Time NBA All – Star Game MVP Award Winner (2012, 2019)
  • 6 – Time All – NBA First Team Selection (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018)
  • 4 – Time All – NBA Second Team Selection (2016, 2017, 2019, 2022)
  • NBA Rookie of the Year Award Winner (2008)
  • NBA All – Rookie First Team Selection (2008)
  • 4 – Time NBA Scoring Champion (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014)
  • NBA’s 50 – 40 – 90 Club (2013)
  • NBA 75th Anniversary Team Selection
  • Consensus National College Player of the Year Award Winner (2007)
  • Consensus First – Team All – American Selection (2007)
  • Big – 12 Player of the Year Award Winner (2007)
  • Number 35 Retired by the Texas Longhorns
  • FIBA World Championship MVP Award Winner (2010)
  • 3 – Time USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year Award Winner (2010, 2016, 2021)
  • McDonald’s All – American Game MVP Award Winner (2006)
  • First – Team Parade All – American Selection (2006)
  • Second – Team Parade All – American Selection (2005)