The data doesn't lie|Durant was swept and will leave the team? The Suns' Big Three may really break up

Rowe said the NBA

2024-04-29 12:29Posted in Fujian Sports Creators

On April 29, Beijing time, the Suns lost to the Timberwolves 116-122 at home, and were swept out of the game with a total score of 0-4, becoming the first team to be eliminated in this year's playoffs, Durant 33 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks, Booker 49 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, and Beal 9 points, 6 turnovers and 6 fouls. This is Durant's second first-round sweep in two years. In April 2022, Durant's Nets were swept in the first round by the Green Army, and halfway through the second year, Durant requested a trade to leave and join the Suns. Now, Durant, wearing the Suns jersey, has tasted being swept again, will he leave the team again?

Suns most likely to trade Durant?

Unlike during the Nets, if Durant and the Suns split up in the offseason, it may be a choice that both sides are willing to choose. Durant certainly wants to go to a team that suits him better and has better championship hopes, while the Suns must tear down the Big Three with a total salary of $150 million next season if they want to upgrade their roster. By the way, the total salary of Durant (51.17 million), Beal (50.2 million) and Booker (49.35 million) next season has exceeded 14 of the league's 30 teams.

In the 2023-24 season, the Suns' total expenses (salary + luxury tax) are as high as $328.69 million, and being swept out of the first round is obviously a result that Suns owner Ishbia is not satisfied with.

According to the analysis of the American media, if the Suns decide to trade one of the three stars in exchange for a role player whose skills are more complementary to the other two, then the star who is exchanged is most likely Durant. Beal's performance has been frantically complained about, but he has a trade veto, and Booker, 27, is the youngest of the three and the most likely player to bring long-term value to the Suns, having been seen as a non-sale for years. Then, it is Durant who can be traded. ESPN salary expert Marks agrees that this may be the only option for the Suns to change their roster.

Durant, who will be 36 years old in September this year, is still an elite-level scorer, averaging 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5 assists per game in the regular season this season, shooting 52.3% from the field, 41.3% from three-point range, and 85.6% from the free throw line. If Durant and the Suns go their separate ways, it will be his third change of teams in nearly five years.

The data shows that this season, the Suns Big Three played 41 games together, 26-15 in these 41 games, and the three of them could only win 6.6 points in 100 rounds in the same game, and there was no obvious advantage, in the first three games of the playoffs, the three of them played in the same game for 98 minutes, the Suns lost 42 points, the offensive efficiency of the same game was 101.5, the defensive efficiency was 120.3, and the 100 rounds lost by 18.8 points. In the G4 battle, the three of them lost by 20 points when they were in the same game, and such a trio combination really didn't seem to be suitable.

If the Suns can't trade for the Big Three, it will be too difficult for them to trade upgrades. After all, this is a top-heavy team, and other chips are simply not worth enough to trade for game-changing players, and in order to assemble this Big Three roster, the Suns have overdrawn the future, with no disposable first-round picks in 2025-2030 and no disposable second-round picks in 2024-2030.

Is returning to the Thunder the best choice for KD?

If Durant leaves the Suns, what is his ideal next destination? ESPN expert Shanno Sharpe touched on the topic on a recent podcast episode, and he believes that returning to the Thunder is the best option for Durant.

"They [the Thunder] have about eight or nine first-rounders, 13 or so second-rounders, and they have enough assets to trade for Durant," Sharpe said. Not only do the Thunder have enough trading assets, but they also have a strong roster. This season's regular season record is first in the West, and the Pelicans also led 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs.

In December 2023, the American media listed an 8-for-1 trade plan for Durant for the Thunder, suggesting that the Thunder send Giddey, Dort, Bertans (note: has now been traded to the Hornets), Carson Wallace and 4 first-round picks in exchange for Durant.

Durant and Holmgren also collaborated in an ad for KD's new shoes, and Holmgren was a great admirer of Durant. Although Durant can't become a free agent until 2026, the Thunder can try to trade young guys and draft picks for KD if they want to.

The Thunder already have plenty of fighting power, but the team, with an average age of 23.4 (the second youngest in the league and the youngest being the Spurs' 23.0), lacks playoff experience, and if they can get Durant to do so, they expect to have a real chance of becoming a championship-caliber team. More and more media believe that Durant could eventually retire as a Thunder player.

Should Durant leave or stay?

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