SUMMARY
- The Phoenix Suns have been lingering around the sixth and Play-In Tournament seeds in the Western Conference.
- NBA Analyst Zach Lowe believes this is their last shot with Kevin Durant at winning a title, as they have no other way out.
The next few years in basketball are going to be quite emotional for fans around the world. Amongst all the veterans who are expected to conclude their run, Kevin Durant is one of them. For 17 years, Durant has stood as a monumental figure in the league. He has established himself as one of the most dominant scorers in the mid-range. But before the 2x NBA Champion reaches the end of the road, he still wants to add more to his resume.
KEVIN DURANT EFFICIENT 30 BALL AGAINST THE #1 SEED WE SLEEPING GOOD TONIGHT 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/PAP1pJo5bK
— 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘢☆ (@Stunna999_) March 28, 2024
The Phoenix Suns acquired Durant via a trade involving the Brooklyn Nets midway last season. The Suns were on a terrific run with Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton in the starting lineup. But it isn’t an ideal situation when a team is stagnant. Durant was their best option for immediate success. One of their biggest goals is to compete in the finals since making their last run in 2022.
The Suns might be Kevin Durant’s last shot at a championship
NBA analyst Zach Lowe had brought out a fairly good point about the Phoenix Suns’ era with Kevin Durant. They gave up everything including top assets like Mikal Bridges and Ayton, just to set up a championship-caliber team. But all his may backfire if they do not make the playoffs this season.
Lowe told ESPN, “I’ll tell you what the Lakers do have. They have some draft picks, and they have some tradable salaries and a little bit of flexibility to do stuff in the off-season. You know who doesn’t have that? The Phoenix Suns. This would be the biggest disaster of all.” He added, “If they don’t make it, Kevin Durant is going to be 36 soon. They’re running out of time and they went all the way in and they’ve got no outs.”
“Phoenix put the chips in, put their mortgage in… They’re running out of time, and they went all the way in, and they got no outs.”@ZachLowe_NBA and @WindhorstESPN talk about the pressure the Suns have to succeed this season 🗣
(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/4v9v5GMsbr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 4, 2024
Brian Windhorst doubled down on Lowe’s comments claiming that the LA Lakers or the Golden State Warriors do not have the same pressure that sits on the Suns’ shoulders. They’ve acquired an entirely new team and revamped the depth lineup. It is best if they make the most of a 35-year-old KD who is still averaging 27.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.
Kevin Durant isn’t frustrated over the Suns’ underwhelming record
Amidst the struggles the Suns faced during the first half of the season, there were multiple rumors about Kevin Durant wanting out. As we all know, the 16x NBA All-Star has a history of walking away from franchises that do not serve purpose to his goals. But this isn’t the case with the Suns. According to Fox Sports, Durant claimed he didn’t want to get traded.
He said, “I don’t want to get traded. I’m not frustrated because Brad was injured. I wasn’t frustrated because of the role players on the team. That sh*t really was ignorant to me, you know what I’m saying?… I love that we’re struggling almost because we can learn from it and get better and move forward from it. Obviously, I don’t love struggling. But I like finding good things out of winning basketball games.”
Bradley Beal and Devin Booker have missed multiple games due to injuries earlier this season. It is only now that the Suns have been playing consistently and with a lot more grit winning 7 of their last 10 games. But their last stretch of games are must-wins.