How Kyrie Irving's Uncertainty With Nets Paves Way For Suns Acquiring Kevin Durant

The offseason has arrived upon the NBA landscape after a grueling six-game Finals series between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors, with the latter winning its fourth title in eight years.

But for the 28 other teams in the league, the ultimate goal of winning a title for their franchise is at the core of their existence with front offices of the perennial playoff teams looking to find the missing pieces for a championship run.

Included among these teams are the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets.

After stellar performances in the 2021 playoffs, both franchises fell short of making the conference finals this postseason, which has led their fanbases to question what else could they be lacking.

Questions surround Deandre Ayton’s future in The Valley hound the Suns, while Kyrie Irving’s issues with the Nets are their main concern in the meantime.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Nets and Irving are not progressing towards an extension anytime soon as the 2016 NBA champion must make a decision by June 29 whether to opt-in with his player option worth $36.9 million or explore the free-agent market.

This affects the Suns in the biggest way possible as it opens up the possibility of them getting Kevin Durant in some type of trade package this offseason.

Lovingly called the “Iso Gang” for their stellar individual play, the trio of Durant, Irving and James Harden was broken up at the 2022 trade deadline after the latter was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons.

Fan opinion on Simmons has soured over the past two seasons because of his lackluster performances and inability to suit up for a game, which led many Suns fans to dream up scenarios of Durant wanting to leave Brooklyn and join Devin Booker in Phoenix.

Durant previously raved about Suns head coach Monty Williams for his ability to communicate clearly with his players.

“He knows how to talk to people, for one. He knows how to communicate and he’s honest. That’s lacking in our world in general. It’s just truth,” Durant said as quoted by Inside the Suns.

The pair’s history with one another dates back to the 2015-16 season when Williams served as an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The two-time NBA champion also sang the praises of Booker on two separate occasions, further whetting Suns fans’ appetite for a possible blockbuster trade.

While there is no clear indication that Durant would leave the Nets, Irving deciding to skip town will further fuel the rumor mill.

The Suns will likely need to trade crucial players like Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson to even entice the Nets to come to the table, which may crush fans’ hearts similar to when they made the surprising decision to trade Kelly Oubre Jr. for Chris Paul.

However, their title window is as slim as ever and there is no doubt that getting a prolific scorer like Durant will possibly push them over the hump and finally reach the promised land.

All of it will depend on Irving’s decision and the days leading up to June 29 will determine whether the Nets get to run it back next season, with Simmons likely back on the floor sometime in September or the Suns possibly getting their pipe dreams to come true.