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Kevin Durant's departure from the Brooklyn Nets is imminent following his trade request. His preferred destinations are the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat, according to reports.
On Fox Sports' "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," Skip Bayless said that the Suns are now the favorites to win the championship in the upcoming season purely because of the possibility of Durant landing there. Bayless said:
"It actually strengthens my case that he is by far the best player on the planet. They are elevating Phoenix up to at least co-number one, co-choice to be the champions next year. The co-betting favorite is now the Phoenix Suns only because Durant put them at the top of his wishlist!
"The Suns were like fourth or fifth and all of a sudden they're co-number one. Why would that be? Because one of the heads of the betting houses said, 'wherever Kevin Durant goes, they're going to be the favorites.'"
The Nets are exploring their options. They have listed out their demands for Durant. The Heat and the Suns are heavy favorites to land him due to the vast number of assets they possess. They can part ways with these assets and remain in championship contention.
Could the Suns offer the best deal for Kevin Durant?
The Phoenix Suns have one of the best packages available for the Nets. The Suns won't trade Chris Paul. They won't be trading Devin Booker either. Booker recently signed a long-term extension and is not eligible to be traded.
The Suns could trade Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson or Deandre Ayton for Kevin Durant. To make the salaries work, the Nets will also have to include Cam Thomas or someone with a similar contract.
However, the Nets have made it certain that they want an All-Star in return. Ayton's performances in the postseason have not been All-Star worthy. Mikal Bridges is one of the best defensive players in the league but is not an All-Star while Cam Johnson is a starter at best.
This would leave the Miami Heat in the driver's seat. The Heat can part ways with Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson for Durant. They would have a big three of Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo at that point, while the Nets would get a sharpshooter in Robinson, a veteran in Lowry and the reigning Sixth Man of the Year in Herro.
Guess the Lakers players!
