Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant (7) looks to drive against Chicago Bulls’ Coby White (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, January 4, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File).
Kevin Durant is heading out of the Brooklyn Nets and will join the Phoenix Suns in a stunning trade, according to reports.
The 34-year-old will be a prize catch for new Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who completed his takeover at Phoenix this week and pledged to create a team that is “the best in class”.
Nets team-mate T.J. Warren will join Durant in making the switch, ESPN said, with Phoenix giving the Nets three players in Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Jae Crowder, plus four unprotected first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap.
The first-round picks will reportedly be for the 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 drafts.
Durant’s exit ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline follows the Nets trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, meaning two superstars of the NBA have left Brooklyn within days.
A 13-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP, Durant has averaged 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season.
A knee problem has meant he has not played since January 8, with the Nets going 5-9 in his absence, having won 17 of their previous 19 when Durant featured.
Durant and Irving arrived in Brooklyn together in 2019 but started only 71 regular season games together.
Their exits will mean the Nets have traded their only two players to average above 20 points per game this season.
Durant’s move will see him leave a team sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference for the side fifth in the Western Conference.
