Charania: Suns Still in Play but far Behind Others in Durant Pursuit

After omitting the Suns out of his initial Kevin Durant report yesterday, Charania says the Suns are still somewhat in the race.

When the Phoenix Suns weren't listed alongside the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat or Toronto Raptors in the updated sweepstakes for Kevin Durant, many within the Valley had assumed the Suns were out of the race. 

The Athletic's Shams Charania, who first reported the details of Durant's meeting with Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai, said Durant still demanded a trade if the organization didn't fire general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash. 

Charania in his first report:

"The Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat remain the most significant candidates to acquire Durant, sources said, with Boston’s package centering around All-Star forward Jaylen Brown seen as a viable deal. Tsai and the Nets have made clear privately that they will take every last asset from a team that trades for Durant, sources said."

However, the tone was a tad different when he jumped on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday and discussed the latest happenings surrounding Durant:

"As it stands right now, Jaylen Brown is probably that centerpiece that makes the most sense. But Toronto, Miami, Boston, I think even Phoenix [is in the running]. 

"Could Phoenix come up with some kind of package around Mikal Bridges and four/five/six first-round picks to send to another team and try to get back in this race? Because once Deandre Ayton had his contract offer sheet from Indiana, that four-year, $133 million, once it was matched by Phoenix, it really created a position for Phoenix [where] they didn't have many assets besides Mikal Bridges and a bunch of draft picks. 

“We'll see where Phoenix [is], to me, they are still very, very far behind from the rest of the pack." 

So, nothing crazy or new in developments. Charania believes the Suns aren't quite out, but other teams (at this moment) still are ahead of Phoenix in potential trade packages. 

Thank you for making Inside The Suns your destination for Phoenix Suns news. Please be sure to give us a like on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube and follow us on Twitter @InsideTheSunsSI for news, updates, analysis and more!

Top Phoenix Suns News

ESPN Projects Suns to Finish First in West

Bleacher Report Believes Suns Haven't Addressed Biggest Weakness

Suns Rank No. 2 in Western Conference Power Rankings

NBA Insider Leaves Suns of Landing Spots for Durant

Five Suns Fall in Top 100 Value Rankings

Hassan Whiteside: Potential Option for Suns

Would LaMarcus Aldridge Fit in Phoenix?

Mikal Bridges is a Good Bet for DPOY