Zach Lowe Mentions Atlanta As A Hypothetical Trade Destination for Kevin Durant

Jackson Caudell | Apr 29, 2024

Feb 2, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) shoots against the / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns were a team that had NBA title aspirations coming into the season, but they fell flat on their face last night vs the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota finished off the sweep last night and after going all in to try and win a title this year, the Suns have one of the bleakest outlooks in the NBA right now with not many ways to improve the roster.

One option that has been discussed has been trading either Kevin Durant or Devin Booker. Bradley Beal is untradeable given his contract and the fact that he has a no trade clause and Phoenix does not have any way to add talent to their roster without trading one of those two. Booker is much younger and unless he demands a trade, I don't foresee Phoenix wanting to move him.

But what about Durant?

Phoenix sent pretty much everything they had for Kevin Durant at last year's trade deadline and while they could not get all of that back, Durant is still one of the elite players in the NBA and would garner a lot of interest around the league, though how much is a good question given that Durant is 36 years old.

On the latest episode of the Lowe Post Podcast, ESPN NBA analyst Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks were speculating on hypothetical trades for Durant this summer and Lowe mentioned the Atlanta Hawks as a destination:

"Orlando would be the most fun, but it is not their M.O. The one that kinda makes sense, in theory is Atlanta, for one of the point guards, De'Andre Hunter, Saddiq Bey, just throw all of the wings in, but they just don't have any picks, they have the Sacramento pick and like one other future pick that they could trade, they just don't have any picks, but that is a fun little fake one."

Marks chimed in with his thoughts:

"You mentioned Atlanta, swapping out Trae Young for Durant."

I wrote about how the Hawks should get involved for Durant if he is indeed available and righ now, this is just all speculation. Phoenix might decide to run everything back and try to make it work with this team.

This past season, Durnat averaged over 27 PPG on 52% shooting from the field and 41% from three and he played in 75 of 82 games this year. He also averaged nearly seven rebounds per game and five assists per game. The question would be how many more seasons of that can he give like that? It could be three or four, but its possible that its just one. He is likely going to be an All-NBA selection this year.

I think a Durant trade this summer would be fascinating to see. He is clearly still a great player, but his age and the fact he ony has two years on his deal might make teams hesitate to give up a lot for him. Phoenix sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four unprotected picks, as well as a pick swap in 2028. I seriously doubt that Phoenix could get that type of return back for Durant, but they won't get pennies either.

It will also be interesting to see what Phoenix would prioritize in a trade. They are stuck with Beal because he still has a no trade clause in his contract and given that contract, no team is going to want to trade for him, especially after the season he has had. They still have Booker unless he either demands a trade or Phoenix makes the decision to blow the whole thing up. I doubt they would do that though considering they don't have all of their own picks. Trading Durant seems to be the best possible path to acquiring assets.

What would the Hawks have to give up to get Durant?

Given that the Hawks are probably looking to trade one of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, that would be the starting point. Atlanta could send Murray, De'Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin, and a 2030 first round pick to Phoenix for Durant. The Hawks could also include Clint Capela instead of Hunter, but Jusuf Nurkic still has two years left on his deal and that would not make sense for Phoenix unless they traded him. Murray could be the point guard for Phoenix, Hunter gives them a starting forward, Griffin gives them depth, as well as a young player to have as a potential piece for the future, and they get a first round pick.

Would that be enough? That is the question. I think it is the best that the Hawks could offer, but it might not be the best offer that Phoenix gets. There would be a lot of competition for Durant and teams like Oklahoma City, Philadlephia, and New York would be teams that could give the Suns a ton of picks. Nearly every team in the NBA would want Durant because he makes them instantly better and Atlanta would a lot of other competition.

The Suns are also going to likely want Jalen Johnson back in a deal with Atlanta and while Durant is a better player currently, Johnson is 22 years old and looks like he has All-NBA potential. I think the Hawks would be reluctant to trade him for a 35-year-old Durant and they should be. I also think they would rather have a Young/Durant pairing than a Murray/Durant pairing.

This summer is shaping up to be one of the most interesting the NBA has seen in some time. Atlanta and Phoenix are likely going to be right in the middle of that.