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STALWART. Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant reacts during NBA action.
Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images/Reuters
Nearly becoming the latest superstar to be moved during a wild NBA trade season, the Phoenix Suns end up keeping Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant wasn’t dealt prior to the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, February 6. As such, the eighth-leading scorer in NBA history still plays for the Phoenix Suns.
Durant nearly became the latest superstar to be moved during a wild NBA trade season, with the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and Houston Rockets among the teams reportedly making pitches for Durant ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
The Suns on Tuesday listed Durant as doubtful on their injury report for Wednesday’s road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder just as trade rumors perked up.
Still to be determined, though, is whether the underachieving Suns can salvage their season as they move on with their big three of Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal intact when they host the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
The Suns lost their final three games before the deadline — two to Portland and then a 31-point drubbing from Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Durant missed the game in Oklahoma City with a sprained left ankle and his availability for Friday’s game isn’t yet firmed up. Phoenix is 1-10 this season without its star.
Just the fact that the Suns discussed Durant in trade talks could be a sign things aren’t working out in Phoenix.
Similarly, the Suns were rumored to be shopping Beal, whose name was included in a potential trade for Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler. The guard, however, declined to waive his no-trade clause.
The Warriors ended up acquiring Butler from the Heat, with Durant saying he wasn’t interested in returning to the Bay Area anyway. The Mavericks acquired Caleb Martin after landing Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster deal for Luka Doncic.
Phoenix did make a trade Thursday by sending center Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round pick in 2026 to the Charlotte Hornets for forward Cody Martin, guard Vasilije Micic, and a second-round pick in 2026.
Nurkic fell out of favor with the Suns and hasn’t played since January 7.
Durant, 36, is a 15-time All-Star and is 26 points away from becoming the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points.
The All-Star forward has averaged 26.9 points with 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 39 games this season.
In 17 seasons, Durant has averaged 27.2 points with 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (2007-2016), Warriors (2016-2019), Brooklyn Nets (2020-2023), and the Suns. – Rappler.com
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