Arizona State is on the vendor for a week to host the Super Bowl and Phoenix Open, and now we’re getting news of Kevin Durant’s blockbuster trade.
One of the greatest NBA players of all time belongs to the Phoenix Suns.
This is more than just news. All volleyball sports offer free beer and rum to his fans. It’s a bacchanal we won’t see straight for the next few weeks.
That’s why I’m here. I am your designated driver.
Analysts love Kevin Durant trades
Someone needs to stay sober while Kevin Durant’s excitement moves from hype to hype to cultural takeover.
“Phoenix is burning now,” said Charles Barkley.
Las Vegas oddsmakers have chosen the Suns to win the NBA Western Conference and challenge the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks for the title.
Things to learn:New Suns owner Matt Ishbier’s ordeal
Across the sports media, analysts are handing out A-pluses and A-pluses to the Suns, who rocked the league with a spectacular trade.
That’s not the letter grade I give to my local team. I give them an “F” instead of a “failure”.
About “Faceplant”
Possibly the worst deal in Arizona history
This may be the worst trade in Arizona’s history in sports, and it’s a very high bar.
This is the city that traded pitcher Max Scherzer and three other players to the Detroit Tigers for Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson.You may have heard of Scherzer. He has three Cy Young Awards, two no-hitters and a World Series title.
As an editorial page columnist, what qualifications do I need to be qualified to make Suns trade decisions?
Let me show you my credentials: 50 years of suffering. Arizona’s arena has seen the aging superstar Leisure come to the world he’s 50 years old.
We’ve done this many times before it’s almost the season, which is what we do with Thanksgiving and Christmas.
We roast the turkey, hang the mistletoe, sign the sports legend beyond his prime, and ride his last big contract into the sunset.
We have a long line of past prime superstars
The Arizona Cardinals did this with great Dallas Cowboys running back Emmett Smith. Came to Japan at the age of 33. Retired at age 35. During that time he fractured his shoulder blade.
A huge defensive lineman for the Houston Texans, JJ Watt became a cardinal at age 32. He retired at his 33rd year.
In 2011, the Cardinals signed NFL great tight end Todd Heap. His tank was almost empty. He played two injury-plagued seasons before being released in 2012.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed past-the-best World Series legend Madison Bumgarner for $85 million. He never returned to his former glory.
What about Charles Barkley? He had a good year in Philadelphia before coming to Phoenix to change the Suns. Charles Barkley was 29 when he came to Phoenix. He retired from the Houston Rockets at age 36.
Kevin Durant is 34 years old. He has a recent injury history that has kept him out of many games. Most recently, though he paired with two other superstars, the Eastern Brooklyn he couldn’t get the Nets past the conference playoffs.of Brooklyn Triad was a bust.
The Phoenix Suns mortgaged their future
On Thursday, the Phoenix Suns traded Michal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and unprotected first-round picks in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 to superstar Durant and former Suns. I learned that he was traded for draft pick TJ Warren. NBA career.
Mychal Bridges and Cam Johnson were exceptional additions on draft day. At 26, he still has plenty of prime time and has matured well beyond his age, both of which are great foundations to build a team on.
Not only do they perform at a high level, they also help set the tone in the locker room. They are priceless athletes and extraordinary human beings, and to understand how deeply their loss is felt in the Suns organization, watch the clip below. Suns coach Monty Williams talks about exit.
He says sorrowfully: They are literally like my family. ”
Four unprotected first-round draft picks? Talk about living for today, the future is damned.
No defense, no depth now
Those are the prices you pay for a 28-year-old Durant, not an injury-prone 34-year-old.
The Phoenix Suns are one tendon tear from auctioning off the next decade. right.
Many say that when the championship window opens, you have to get it. But if the Suns have learned anything from their success over the past two years, the NBA playoffs are a test of endurance. You’re better off going with defense and depth.
The Suns currently have neither. They may rectify it on the free market, but Durant, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul (not even Chris Paul two years ago) are doing better than Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. What makes us believe that
i hope i’m wrong about all this
This is not an opinion about new Suns owner Matt Ishbia. He is a highly accomplished athlete and businessman with a passion for NBA basketball. I love that he is the new owner. But I think he made a rookie mistake.
If I’m wrong and the Durant-led Phoenix Suns lift the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy, I’ll gladly eat this column with the same enthusiasm and tangy barbecue sauce that Billy Bob Thornton once ate. I eat Massey’s prenup. (See The Coen Brothers, ‘Intolerable brutality’.)
But I’m not wrong.
For 50 years, I have faced the cold, harsh realities of Arizona sports. And I have your car keys.
Phil Boas is an editorial columnist for the Republic of Arizona.he can be reached at [email protected].Com.
This article originally appeared in the Republic of Arizona. Kevin Durant trade to Phoenix Suns is worst trade in Arizona history