Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker receives fourth NBA All-Star selection
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant will represent the Phoenix Suns at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 18 in Indianapolis.
It’s been a full year since the Phoenix Suns made their blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets for superstar forward Kevin Durant.
The completed trade sent both Durant and depth forward TJ Warren to Phoenix in exchange for core forwards Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, disgruntled depth forward Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap. Both teams received mostly positive reviews following the deal and ESPN senior writer Kevin Pelton even graded it an ‘A’ for the Suns. The Nets didn’t even get an ‘A’ from Pelton for their side of the deal.
Fast forward a year later, Pelton lowered the Suns’ grade to a ‘B’… and even raised the Nets’ grade to an ‘A’.
“I was very excited to establish the Suns as West favorites after adding Durant, who was sidelined with a knee sprain at the time of the trade,” Pelton wrote Tuesday. “While Durant sprained his ankle in pregame warmups before his home debut, which was unexpected, there were challenges to Phoenix’s continuity and depth, leading to a six-game series loss to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets in the second round. Had to face.”
Why did the Phoenix Suns fall behind in 2023?
Pelton wrote about this in his ‘2024 NBA Trade Deadline: Regrading last year’s deals’ article for ESPN+. Last season, durability cost the Suns the championship. As the peloton moved on, Durant didn’t get a chance to socialize with his new Phoenix teammates after arriving in the desert due to injuries.
Durant played in only eight games with the Suns before the postseason. In fairness, the Suns did defeat the LA Clippers early in the first round of the playoffs, sending them off after just five games. However, a lack of stability saw the Suns defeated again in the next series.
Phoenix was down 1–0 in the Western Conference Semifinals against the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets, coming off a victory in Game 2. As the game progressed, starting point guard Chris Paul began to find his offensive rhythm, but then left with a groin strain. The Suns lost that game and subsequent series after losing two of their next four games.
They traded so deeply into the Nets that they were not able to compensate for the loss of Paul. Needless to mention, starting center Deandre Ayton missed Game 6 (the game that ended the series) due to a rib injury. Phoenix needed more than just Durant and Devin Booker to defeat a championship-caliber team.
However, Pelton admits there is still time to get the right production from this trade. After all, it’s a new season and Phoenix is 17-6 in their last 23 games. Despite a 14–15 start in their first 29 games, they are still just five games out of first place in the West.
Surya’s chance for salvation
“The Suns still have time to justify the outlay of four first-round picks and a swap,” Pelton wrote. “Durant has been healthy this season and continues to perform at an All-NBA level. After a slow start with newcomer Bradley Beal lost due to injuries, Phoenix has moved up in the West standings and is the fifth best shot at winning the title this season. The odds are (+1600), according to ESPN BET.”
Durant hasn’t really lost a step, averaging 28.4 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, 5.7 assists per game and 1.3 blocks per game with 53.9/45.2/87.1 shooting splits. Other than missing a few games, Durant has been healthy. Beal is also healthy now and has looked like himself over the last few games, shooting 37 of 64 (57.8%) from the field, 12 of 22 from deep (54.5%), and 12 of 14 from the field. free throw line, scoring 98 points, swiping six steals and dishing out 16 assists in his last three contests.