[The Epoch Times, February 10, 2023](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Wang Yezhi) Before the end of the 2023 NBA trade deadline (February 9, local time), a total of 28 teams in the league completed transactions. 16 transactions occurred in 13 hours. Among them, the Nets are the most prominent. After sending Irving to Dallas, they made an unprecedented decision to trade superstar Kevin Durant to the Suns, and the team completely rebuilt. During the period, the Lakers sent Westbrook to the Jazz, but failed to make waves in the trading market.
On February 8, the Suns officially announced that with the approval of the NBA Board of Directors, Matt Ishbia completed the acquisition of the Suns and Mercury and became the new owner of the team. Ishbia was a member of Michigan State University, a famous basketball school, and he should know more about basketball than many NBA bosses. On the second day after the official acquisition of the team, Ishbia resolutely “stud” all the chips in his hands and asked the Nets to buy Durant.
My friend Irving forced Gong to trade to leave the Nets and go to the Lone Ranger to join forces with Doncic. This is undoubtedly a blow to Durant. The Nets also knew very well that “a twisted melon is not sweet”, so they didn’t do anything, decided to rebuild the team, and reached a Durant deal with the Suns.
The Nets sent Durant and Warren, and got Bridges, Johnson and Crowder from the Suns, as well as four first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 are all unprotected), plus 2028 draft pick swap. This deal shocked the league instantly. The “Big Three” of Paul, Booker and Durant formed by the Suns may change the pattern of the NBA.
In order to make a deal, the Suns overdrawn “the future” and lost the next four unprotected first-round picks. This means that the Suns have not left any retreat for themselves, and the championship will be their only goal in the next few years.
Nets rebuild out of title contention
Before the start of this season, due to his great disappointment with the Nets management, Durant had submitted a trade application. At that time, he hoped to go to the Suns to join forces with Paul and Booker. However, the Nets’ “Lion’s Big Opening” raised the offer quite high, which discouraged the teams. But this time the Nets’ asking price has been reduced a lot. The well-known commentator Perkins directly burst into foul language on the show, saying that the Suns “cheated” in this deal because the two parties were completely unequal.
If you compare it with the Timberwolves’ ten-for-one operation (including four first-round picks and a first-round swap) in order to get the 30-year-old Gobert during the offseason, the Nets can be regarded as a “cheap sale” of Duran. special. Previously, many people said that the management of the Nets was poor. This time it really made people see that maybe the thoughts of rich people are difficult for ordinary people to understand.
After two blockbuster deals, the Nets got five players, plus eight draft picks. Simmons is now the only remaining All-Star player on the team, but due to his recent poor form, no one has been interested. Although the Nets have bid farewell to the championship, they can’t “play badly” and will continue to hit the playoffs. Because most of the Nets’ draft picks in the next few years will be in the hands of the Rockets, so “bad” is just “making a wedding dress” for the Rockets.
Durant joins the Suns as a favorite
For the past two years, the Suns have been the main force in the Western Conference championship. In the 2020-2021 season, the Suns reached the finals under the leadership of Paul and Booker. Last season, they created a team history record of 64 wins in the regular season. This season, the two core Pauls suffered from injuries, and the team’s record has fluctuated. It is currently ranked fifth in the Western Conference, and its place in the playoffs is not stable.
Durant’s joining the Suns has always been his first choice, and now he has got his wish. He will wear the No. 35 jersey back. After Rand joins, his playoff experience and unsolvable scoring methods will bring the Suns to another level. The odds of the Suns winning the championship soared to second in the league, second only to the Celtics.
The Suns will be one of the most powerful offensive teams in the league. Durant averaged 29.5 points per game this season, shooting 55.4% from the field. Coupled with Booker who averaged 27 points per game, the two of them can take half of the Suns’ points per game; With the center, Ayton, who can contribute 20+10 per game, and the “veteran” point guard Paul, it is not surprising that the Suns are among the favorites to win the championship.
Next, for the Suns, the biggest threat will come from injuries. The 34-year-old Durant is still recovering from his injury and is expected to return next month. Considering his history of Achilles tendon rupture, it will be a major hidden danger for him; Booker has missed 21 games in a row due to a groin injury. Has not played for two months; and the 37-year-old Paul is prone to injuries as soon as he arrives in the playoffs, so how far the Suns can go in the end, it is still too early to draw a conclusion.
The Lakers trade Westbrook to continue to strengthen
Durant and Irving “journeyed westward” one after another, allowing the strength of the eastern and western teams to be redistributed. In the West, the strength of the Suns and the Lone Ranger has greatly increased, and some teams that originally wanted to take advantage of the chaos to break out of the siege may lose their hopes.
After experiencing twists and turns for most of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers finally sent Westbrook away before the trade deadline to further strengthen the lineup and help James continue to compete for the championship, but I am afraid it is too late.
After the Lakers negotiated with the Timberwolves and the Jazz, they reached a three-way deal. The Lakers used a first-round pick to successfully send Westbrook away in exchange for three starting-level players-Russell, Vanderbilt and Beasley. After completing the transaction, the strength of the Lakers has been improved, but the situation of advancing to the playoffs is not optimistic. At present, they have a record of 25 wins and 30 losses, ranking 13th in the West, and there are still three wins away from the playoffs of the playoffs.
After the Jazz got Westbrook, they did not plan to keep him, and were more inclined to buy out his contract directly. If Westbrook is bought out, he is likely to choose to join the Clippers, without leaving Los Angeles, and he can continue to hit the championship. The Clippers also hope to get a good organizer to solve the team’s organizational shortcomings.
Responsible editor: Zheng Huang#
