Kevin Durant's Here - And He Means Business

The Phoenix Suns introduced Kevin Durant today, and it's clear he means business moving forward.

PHOENIX -- Kevin Durant is here, and the buzz felt around the Footprint Center when he took the floor to a thunderous applause from fans in attendance. 

The Phoenix Suns and their fans have been thirsting for a championship and have gotten fairly close in the last two seasons. A trip to the 2021 NBA Finals and a 64-win regular season were fun times, but neither campaign ended with the Larry O'Brien trophy coming back to the Valley. 

As such, general manager James Jones made a tough business decision and traded away two coveted pieces in Cam Johnson + Mikal Bridges on top of four first-round picks to land Durant. 

Durant's resume needs no introduction: His accolades and ability to score from anywhere on the floor have made him un-guardable since his introduction to the league in 2007. 

Now, with Durant at the side of Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, to say expectations are through the roof would be low-balling what they actually are. 

Durant knows it. 

"I think we've got all the pieces to be successful," he told the crowd in downtown Phoenix. 

"We've got guys that experienced what it's like to play in that final round. We got a champion [Jones] already that's overseeing us. Monty [Williams] is a champion as a coach.

"So we've got guys that been there, and that's half the battle: just knowing what it takes. We've got guys that can do pretty much everything on the floor, so we've got to put it together and I'm looking forward to going to work."

Watching Durant sit on the impromptu stage alongside owner Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones, his demeanor never really wavered. For as polarizing as Durant is, his ability to stay neutral when tasked with varying questions on his time with Brooklyn and former teammate Kyrie Irving was impressive.

Perhaps that matches his cold-blooded ability to close out games on the court. Perhaps that's just the nature of his business-like approach to the game of basketball. 

"You see the growth in this team. When Monty took over, when James came here, I see the culture start to change, the way they played on the floor. The energy they played with started to change, and I always loved playing here in Phoenix," said Durant. 

"I knew this would be a great place to play and a great place to continue to get better as a player. You got somebody like Devin [Booker] and Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, guys that work. And I wanted to be part of that, so I'm excited I'm here."

Work is a very important part of Durant's path to success, and though his MCL sprain will keep him out until after the All-Star break, Durant's already been impressed with his new surroundings. 

"I've been to a couple of practices already and the attention to detail is something I love. If we continue to stay on that path every day, we will see good things," he said. 

Durant didn't stay on the court for very long. It was about 25 minutes from the time he was introduced to the time he departed. When you're on a mission like Durant is, there's really no time to waste. 

He's here, Suns fans. The potential missing piece to the championship puzzle is here.

We'll see if it fits like everybody hopes it will.