New owners in sports almost always want to make a big splash right off the bat. This appeases uneasy fans and proves they are serious about winning. It’s great PR.
Well, new Suns owner Mat Ishbia might have made the biggest new-owner splash in the history of new-owner splashes.
Hours after getting the keys to the franchise, Ishbia agreed to ship off Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks, and a first-round swap, all to Brooklyn for T.J. Warren and Kevin Durant.
Kevin Durant.
You don’t often see all-time greats get traded, and it quite frankly takes a lot of balls to get it done. Not only was Ishbia willing to sanction a trade that sells Phoenix’s future away, but he was also willing to pay the luxury tax associated with it.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on TV that the Durant deal will cost Ishbia $40 million in luxury tax. To put that in perspective, previous head honcho Robert Sarver spent less than $15 million in that department – total – in nearly 20 years in charge.
But it’s all worth it. It’s Kevin Durant. This isn’t just a big splash. This is the moon crashing into Earth and landing in the Pacific Ocean.
This changes the complexion of the entire league for at least the next two-to-three years.
The Suns were already on the up-and-up, winning nine of their previous 11 games leading up to the trade. Devin Booker was coming back from a lengthy injury, and they were getting some of the best ball of DeAndre Ayton’s career… (what!?)
On top of that, Chris Paul has *mostly* settled into his new role as an aging facilitator, helping the Suns’ offense to run efficiently and effectively. They just midrange teams to death.
And then they traded for the greatest scoring forward we have ever seen!?
Durant fits seamlessly into this offense. His ability to score from pretty much anywhere makes them so much harder to defend (they were already a handful), and he and Booker together are the stuff of defensive nightmares.
If you’re in the Western Conference, this is the last thing you want to see in the playoffs. An already potent offense adding the most potent scorer of his generation.
Simply put, this makes Phoenix my clear favorite to get to the finals. Look at the teams they would probably have to get through to make it there, assuming everyone is healthy:
Denver is just as good offensively but doesn’t have the length or athleticism to guard Durant or Booker alone. Them together is an awful matchup for the Nuggets.
Memphis has decent length and athleticism, but is susceptible to getting pulled around by off-ball action, which will only get more intricate with Durant’s addition. You don’t want JJJ getting sucked out to guard Durant 30 feet from the basket.
Sacramento probably doesn’t have the talent to keep up with Durant, Booker, Ayton, Paul, and company. Simple math there.
Dallas can probably keep up on offense (as long as it hits shots), but a five with Luka and Kyrie on the floor at the same time might as well just not play defense at all. Suns fans would love to eliminate the Mavs and continue building what seems like a legitimate rivalry.
Defensively, the Clippers are probably the first team that comes to mind as one that could theoretically stop what Phoenix has to offer, but that would entail making a risky bet on their health, which I’m not willing to do.
I’m giving Phoenix the edge over everyone in a seven-game series, assuming it stays healthy.
A week ago, the Suns were a fringe playoff team who would likely run into problems against most of the aforementioned teams. Now, they are the clear favorites and will be in that position for the next few seasons.
All it took was a new owner, $40 million in tax expenditure, and as I said earlier, a lot of balls.
Moon, meet Earth. The Phoenix Suns are title contenders.