Kevin Durant remains sidelined with an MCL sprain he suffered a month ago, but the Phoenix Suns are ecstatic about having added him at the trade deadline.
Enough that it has given the team a boost without the 13-time All-Star and former MVP even being on the floor yet.
“I think it’s more than a lift. I think it’s a jolt, if that makes sense. Just because of, not just who he is as a player, but his love for the game,” offered Suns coach Monty Williams following a 116-107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. “I think the guys are going to see something that they may not have seen before as far as his approach and how much he just loves to play basketball.”
The former Nets star was dealt in the middle of the night — around 1 a.m. ET on Thursday — to Phoenix, along with T.J. Warren, in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder (who was later flipped to the Milwaukee Bucks), and a bevy of first- and second-round picks.
Though Durant’s Suns debut won’t come for at least two more weeks — the team’s first game following the All-Star break is on Feb. 24 at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder — there is excitement across the roster.
Kevin Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the early hours of Thursday’s trade deadline. Getty Images“What KD say in that interview one time? What did he say? Y’all know who he is,” Suns point guard Chris Paul said. “KD is different, man. He different. That’s why he is who he is. He’s been doing it in this league for a long time. We got to see what it is.”
DeAndre Ayton, who reportedly had his moments of dissension with the Suns’ organization, also professed a level of eagerness to suit up alongside Durant in the frontcourt.
When asked if he felt that the Suns were in position to win a championship after adding Durant, Ayton replied, “Damn right. You damn right. That’s how I feel.
“I think we got punched in the face so many times where we’ve adapted and accepted to where, we’ve accepted adversity, it helped build confidence to where we’ve been in situations where a team threw everything at us to stop us even though we didn’t have the right pieces on the court … knowing what these teams can throw at us, we’re ready for it man and it’s going to be real fun because it’s so many pieces, golly. It’s trouble and it’s fun because it’s about time. We got the firepower for real and you can feel it.”
Suns point guard Chris Paul and head coach Monty WilliamsGetty ImagesAdded Paul: “It’s one of the best players to ever play the game. Just to know how he approaches the game. His nickname’s Easy Money, just somebody who loves the game like that. I think that’s what brought me and closer together because he just love to hoop. And KD, he just love to hoop. So I’m excited about the process of building this team.”
With the Nets this season, Durant averaged 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 39 games.
Prior to Durant’s injury, the Nets had won 18 of 20 games during a six-week stretch. Before the trade, the Nets without Durant were 5-10.
https://newzander.com/2023/02/11/suns-expect-kevin-durant-to-bring-jolt-after-nets-trade/
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