The Phoenix Suns had a blockbuster, franchise-altering move in the works to send Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors and Jimmy Butler to the Valley, but their trade deadline is expected to look a bit more mundane after it fell through.
A big Suns trade is now unlikely, according to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro. The trade deadline is Thursday at 1 p.m.
Durant made it clear to Warriors star Stephen Curry — who spoke to head coach Steve Kerr, who spoke to ownership — he was uninterested in a reunion, and the Warriors did not want to add a disgruntled star with only a year left on his deal. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater wrote, “the Golden State Warriors ownership group and front office collectively ‘underestimated’ Durant’s coldness toward a return, as one team source put it.”
The nearly-completed trade that would have involved Suns center Jusuf Nurkic and Warriors forwards Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga fizzled out. Golden State pivoted by trading for Butler themselves, ending Phoenix’s months-long pursuit of the former Miami Heat star.
The Warriors dealt Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick to the Heat. Dennis Schroder went to the Utah Jazz and Lindy Waters III to the Detroit Pistons. Detroit also received Josh Richardson from Miami, while the Heat added P.J. Tucker from Utah. Tucker was rerouted to Toronto.
What else could the Suns do at the trade deadline?
Gambadoro reported the Suns will continue to work on getting off the Nurkic contract, which has another year for $19.4 million on it.
He has not played since Jan. 7, and any deal would likely require sending out draft capital.
As for potential targets, the Suns are looking at adding size to assist with rebounding deficiencies (25th in the NBA in boards per game with 42.3).
“I know that they’ve been looking around some power forwards, trying to get themselves a power forward, somebody who can give them some size because they’re having so many problems with the offensive rebounds,” Gambadoro told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Thursday morning. “I’m looking at a couple of power forwards, maybe in the Eastern Conference.”
The Suns traded Josh Okogie and three second-round picks last month to the Charlotte Hornets for center Nick Richards and a second-round pick. Phoenix also acquired three lower-priority first-round picks from Utah for their unprotected 2031 first-rounder for trade flexibility.
