For weeks there has been speculation online and on social media that Kevin Durant may be traded to the Phoenix Suns.
There are now odds that seem to support this speculation.
Bovada published odds for where the NBA star will play next season, and the Phoenix Suns top the list.
They are second only to the Brooklyn Nets, Durant’s current team.
It lists the Nets at -5000 to be Durant’s team in 2022, making Brooklyn a huge favorite.
But the Suns are next in the odds at +1500.
The Dallas Mavericks (+1600), Boston Celtics (+1800), Golden State Warriors (+1800), Toronto Raptors (+1800) and Memphis Grizzlies (+2000) are also included in the NBA star’s next team odds .
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Kevin Durant’s Suns Connections
Durant has spoken fondly of Devin Booker and the Suns in the past, which has fueled speculation he might want to play in Phoenix should he be traded from the Nets.
“It’s a pretty game for one” Durant said about Booker on a podcast in April. “I just think he’s really mastering who he is right now. He figures out how to play at an elite level and still win. He always hits the ball but he knows how to win.”
Durant and Booker were teammates on Team USA at the Olympics last year, and Durant praised Booker at the time: “It just shows you how versatile D-Book is,” Durant told reporters after a game. “A lot of people look at him because he’s such a handsome goalscorer, he can get things done so effortlessly. But he is a scholar. He wants to be an all-around basketball player.”
Durant also has ties to Sun’s coach Monty Williams from their time together with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“He is a leader and a teacher” Durant told reporters when the Suns hired Williams. “I’m happy that he’s back as a coach and is back on the sidelines.”
He added, “I’ve met the kind of man he is,” Durant said. “His coaching style is who he is because of what he’s been through as a person and how he looks at life in general.”
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Durant wasn’t done yet. In that interview, he said he knew Williams could have success in Phoenix.
“For one, he knows how to talk to people. He knows how to communicate and he’s honest,” Durant said. “That’s what’s missing in our world in general. It’s just the truth. Especially when you talk to him on the basketball court, you have a group of guys getting better. He has a young core that’s hungry to get better and hungry to have some success.”
Could Kevin Durant actually end up with the Suns?
Vincent Frank von Sportsnaut.com considered some scenarios for the Suns and other teams to potentially get Durant in a deal if the star tried to force his way out of Brooklyn.
Though he didn’t rule it out, he said it would be difficult to see.
“Added to that huge contract and salaries that have to come close to matching, Brooklyn just doesn’t give Durant away for free,” Frank wrote. “Looking at a potential deal with the Suns, Chris Paul would have to go to Brooklyn to get the salaries working. From there, the Nets would likely want Mikal bridges and draft picks to make this worthwhile.”
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Heavy.com also didn’t seem to think the Nets would part ways with Durant.
Frederick Ennette wrote, “The bottom line is that it’s hard to imagine the Nets investing nearly $200 million in extending Durant, only to part ways with him a year later. The Nets have been unpredictable, but it would be hard to see them act like a top 3 player in the NBA.”
fan side collapsed a proposed trade for Durant to Phoenix in which the Suns gave up Deandre Ayton, Cameron Johnson, Torrey Craig, Landry Shamet and several first-round NBA draft picks.
Collin Helwig wrote of the deal, “This deal doesn’t make sense for the Nets as they could get far more for Durant from teams in more stable situations than Phoenix. After all, KD was widely considered the league’s best player ahead of his early postseason exit this summer. This deal is fun to think about…but don’t waste your time thinking it’s a serious option.”
Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kevin Durant trade odds: Phoenix Suns favored an NBA star if postponed
