RADIO
As hectic as this year's NBA trade deadline has been, with 28 out of the 30 teams making at least one trade, early Thursday morning at 1:00 am, a blockbuster trade went down that not many expected. However, if you had read my previous article, you could have gotten a glimpse of the future thanks to my magic ball, as the first “potential trade” I wrote about was sending Kevin Durant to none other than the Pheonix Suns.
Kevin Durant is undeniably a top-three player and arguably even the best in the NBA right now. It's not surprising to hear how stunned the NBA world was after seeing this trade, as the Suns sold a huge chunk of their future for the Nets superstar but were somehow saved from involving Deandre Ayton in the trade!
Any average NBA fan knows how much of an impact future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant has on any team, but to emphasize just how much, check this out: The Suns went from odds of +1800 of winning the finals to +450 on Thursday morning after the huge trade, now only behind the Boston Celtics, who lead the race with their odds being +350.
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Kevin Durant’s Season Recap
Durant (knee) has been sidelined for over a month after getting hurt on January 8 against the Miami Heat and remains without a timetable to return to make his debut with the Suns. Before getting hurt, the 13-time All-Star was averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.8 blocks, and 36 minutes in 39 appearances this season.
FULL TRADE DETAILS:
Suns
- Kevin Durant
- TJ WarrenNets
- Mikal Bridges
- Cam Johnson
- Jae Crowder
- 4 1st-Round Picks
- Pick Swap(via @wojespn ) pic.twitter.com/e3jz3fUKSN
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 9, 2023
Shortly after Kyrie Irving was shipped off to Dallas, Durant was involved in a blockbuster deal that had been in the talks for some time but no one had actually thought would happen before the trade deadline. To the NBA world’s great surprise, at 1:00 am, the Suns and Nets finalized a trade sending Durant and T.J. Warren to the Suns in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks, and a pick swap.
Fantasy Impact On The Suns
Projected starting lineup:
Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Torrey Craig, Deandre Ayton
The Suns' 26-year-old star Devin Booker shouldn’t take too much of a hit on his fantasy value. Booker should be able to co-exist with Durant without a problem, and the same goes for Durant. Both are top-tier scorers in the league and will find a way to maintain their averages. Since opponents will be overwhelmed on defense, you can even argue that Durant and Booker will increase in value because keeping tabs on both stars will be tough.
Durant's 31.8 usage percentage recorded this year on the Nets could decrease slightly as he is now playing on a much better-constructed offense. However, the same way Durant was able to play perfectly alongside Irving with unreal fantasy value is the same way I expect him to perform alongside Booker. Funny enough, Booker and Irving average the same, 18.2 shots taken per game. If Durant had such usage on the Nets with Irving shooting that much, why not be able to keep that up alongside Booker? Perhaps even increase in value, considering Chris Pauls's passing abilities?
Paul's low 13.3 points per game should be easy to maintain despite the addition of Durant, and if anything, his value should increase because he will see a spike in assists. Although Ayton will still grab his fair share of rebounds, he could see a decrease on the offensive end when both Durant (knee) and Booker (groin) are healthy. Durant and Booker will dominate offensively, taking away most scoring opportunities from Ayton, but he should still be viewed as a valuable center in any format.
Who Will Benefit In Brooklyn?
Projected starting lineup:
Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Nicolas Claxton
Here's where things get interesting. The Nets, a team focusing on stocking up for the future, will still have to put up points and compete, so which players on the team will now produce?
Spencer Dinwiddie, who played for the Nets in the 2019-20 season, is someone I am most excited about. Dinwiddie had his best season with the Nets in 2019, averaging 20.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. Now returning to Brooklyn, a team with no more superstars, Dinwiddie can shine again. He is no longer playing behind Luka Doncic; this is his team. I expect Dinwiddie’s fantasy stock to shoot up. If you can, try to buy him for low before his value skyrockets.
— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) February 8, 2023
Thomas is another player I am very high on. At 21, Thomas became the youngest player to drop 40-plus points in three consecutive games. That’s the unbelievable streak Thomas has been on since Irving was traded. Although the new additions of Dinwiddie, Bridges, and Finney-Smith will decrease Thomas's absurd current value, his usage will still increase considerably to what it was before the trades, and he should be viewed as a must-add waiver wire pickup in any league.
Finney-Smith and Johnson were both solid role players on their original teams, and I expect the same from them on the Nets. They should be viewed as viable streaming options, but Johnson has more upside as he is younger and is a better shooter; he may be worth picking up in deeper leagues.
Bridges should benefit from the trade and increase in value. Bridges had a 17.7 usage percentage on the Suns this season, playing alongside two stars, Booker and Paul. There are no stars on this new Nets team; Bridges's usage will go up, being the talented player he is.
Claxton, who has been playing excellently all season long, averaging 13.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks, shouldn't have anything to worry about, as no incoming players threaten his value. He remains a young rising center that must be rostered in all formats.
It is unclear where Ben Simmons stands with all this and whether or not he will even start. However, he still has decent fantasy value with his rebounding and passing skills and spectacular defense. Don't lose hope in Simmons just yet.
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