Durant comes back West and Suns are the favorites
He just had to come to the Western Conference, didn't he?
Every time Kevin Durant moves, it changes the entire NBA landscape — such is his star power. This trade is no different.
But it's one thing for Durant to leave the Warriors and move across the country. It's another thing for him to move right into the Warriors' backyard.
Here are my thoughts on Durant joining the Phoenix Suns:
THE WARRIORS' ODDS OF WINNING THE TITLE SIGNIFICANTLY DROPPED WITH THIS TRADE >> On Wednesday night, the Suns' title odds were 18-to-1 on FanDuel. After the Suns traded for Durant, those odds went to 4.6-to-1.
Of course, with the Suns becoming the oddsmakers' Western Conference favorites, the Warriors' chances have dropped from 9-to-1 to 15-to-1.
It makes sense. With Steph Curry out, the Warriors are going to struggle to grab a strong seed in the Western Conference playoffs. They might end up in the play-in tournament — you're not winning the title from there.
But removing the odds from it all, Durant going to the Suns must change the mentality for the Warriors heading into the final months of the season.
Before Durant was traded to Phoenix, the Warriors had credible incredulity. Who else was going to win the West but Golden State?
That was a tough question to answer. The top contenders — the Nuggets, Clippers and Grizzlies — have so much to prove in the postseason.
But now there's an obvious answer: Phoenix. THE SUNS HAVE A WICKED 1-2 SCORING PUNCH IN BOOKER AND DURANT
>> Have you seen the Suns' new starting lineup? It's pretty impressive. Chris Paul and Devin Booker in the backcourt, the ever-serviceable
Torrey Craig and Durant in the front court, with DeAndre Ayton at center.
That will do.
Adding Durant changes everything for this Suns' team, as teams can no longer attack Booker with double-teams and forced ball handling. The way to beat the Suns before was to tilt the floor toward Booker. Now, if you do that, you're leaving Durant wide open.
It's not a perfect team, but it has an operator at point guard, two elite shot-makers, and enough defense with Ayton in the middle. It'll be hard to pick against them. THE SUNS' TITLE WINDOW IS SHORTER THAN YOU THINK AND THEY ARE NO GUARANTEE THIS SEASON
>> The best chance of beating the Suns in the Western Conference is for the full Suns team to not arrive in the postseason. And that's a terribly plausible scenario. The Suns' big four all seem to be in a constant rotation of injury, and now their bench is pretty weak.
If they're not healthy, they're just another team in the West.
The Suns' title window is no longer directly tied to Chris Paul, 37, but it's still strongly associated with him. How many runs (speed walks?) does he have left in the tank?
Paul's contract has one more season of guaranteed money should he fail to be moved before the end of the league year.
Two seasons to get him one title. They're in good position, but we've said that before.
OWNERSHIP REALLY MATTERS >> New Suns owner Mat Ishbia took over the team at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. By 11 p.m., the team had traded for Durant.
The new guy is going for it. That's great. The league needs more aggressive owners.
Joe Lacob and his squad used to be like that. Now they're primarily concerned with ensuring Chase Center is full every day until the end of time.
The Suns are playing on one timeline — win now.
The Warriors are fighting a twofront war.
I imagine playing to win today is easier when you've never won a title, but the stark difference in priorities is evident between these two teams. HERE'S HOW I'D RANK THE WARRIORS
IN THE WEST >> The top dog is Phoenix. Then comes Denver and Memphis in a second tier.
Then there's everyone else, with the Warriors part of that group.
Everything is still available for the Dubs. You'd be a fool to count them out. But they will likely enter the real playoffs as underdogs for the first time in a long time. DURANT WILL LIKE PHOENIX >> Durant has been looking for a home since he entered the league. He hasn't found it. I hope he finds it in Phoenix.
I think he'll like it there. It's an underrated market with great weather and every amenity you could want. At the same time, it's not a sports-mad region. It's a good balance for a guy who wants admiration (who doesn't) but doesn't need the nonsense that comes along with being a star.
THEY REALLY BURNED THE NETS TO THE GROUND, DIDN'T THEY? >> There was a couple-week stretch a monthor-so back where the Nets looked like true title contenders.
Now they're a hollowed-out franchise looking to rebuild, again.
The Nets once had a Big 3 of Kyrie Irving, Durant, and James Harden. Now they have Ben Simmons, Mikal Bridges, and Joe Harris. Woof.
The Nets had built something interesting under now-Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson. Then they decided that wasn't good enough and they sold their souls to Irving and Durant.
It was a terrible idea at the time and it looks even dumber now.
Man did they do a number on Brooklyn. If only it wasn't so predictable.
I don't think Durant will do the same thing in Phoenix, but good luck with that whole Kyrie thing, Dallas!