I wish I could come on here and write about how shocked I am, but that's just not the case. If you're truly surprised that Kevin Durant got traded to the Suns you're an idiot. If you seriously thought Durant was going to be a Net after this season you're an idiot. Now I will admit I didn't expect it to happen this soon, but the Nets admitting defeat by the trade deadline is not shocking in the slightest. Despite the fact that I haven't been overtaken by bewilderment at this chain of events, I still want to talk about both this trade and the trade sending D'Angelo Russell to the Lakers.
pc: Brad Penner/USA Today Sports
Obviously the first thing that comes to mind is how good the Suns should be. They traded Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and some picks for Durant, which in my opinion is a bit of an underpay. I assume the Nets wanted to end their Durant era so bad that they were willing to take an underpay as the deadline came to a close. I'm sure the Suns didn't want to lose their best defender in Mikal Bridges, but it seems like they would rather send him away than Ayton. So how good are the Suns now? Well if they can stay healthy they should be the favorite in the Western Conference. There really is only two issues for them at the moment.
1. Staying Healthy
Like I said, as long as they can stay healthy they have a good shot at making a run at a championship. Their big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and CP3 are all guys who have been known to have injury issues. Devin Booker just came off of a substantial injury and Kevin Durant is currently injured. We may not see these three play together until late in the regular season. Because of that you could argue that chemistry issues may arise, and you may be right. If I had to guess I would say they probably stand a better chance next season after they have played significant minutes with one another.
2. Depth
In this trade they did sacrifice some depth. Like I already mentioned, Mikal Bridges was by far their best defender. Cameron Johnson was also a very valuable part of this team. I know that's only two guys, but this already wasn't the deepest team in the league, and now that's even more evident. Obviously when you are as top heavy as this team is now you can still contend no matter the circumstances, but depth could definitely be an issue down the road.
pc: Barry Gossage/Getty Images
Other than those two concerns I am pretty optimistic about the Suns. This is a team with a considerable amount of playoff pedigree and there really is only one or two teams in the West that I could see beating them in a series. We should all strap ourselves in for the Suns being good, and that comes with having to deal with their absolutely abysmal fanbase again.
The other trade I want to talk about is the monster deal between the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Jazz. The Lakers walked away with D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt. The Timberwolves got Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and some second-round picks. The Jazz got Russell Westbrook, a top 4 protected first round pick, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Damian Jones.
pc: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The Lakers are easily the winner of this trade. D'Angelo Russell is an upgrade at the point guard position over Westbrook, and Beasley and Vanderbilt are fantastic depth pieces. I think this move makes the team considerably better in the present, and when you have LeBron on your team that's all that matters. If this Lakers team can stay healthy they will be dangerous in the playoffs. I'm still not sure I would put them in the contender category, but they are very close to that range of teams.
This was a smart move by a Timberwolves team that needed to shake things up badly. Minnesota has been very underwhelming this season, and perhaps adding a seasoned veteran in Conley who already has chemistry with Gobert is the answer. I still don't think the Timberwolves will do anything this season, but clearly they are in win-now mode and perhaps this was the best way to get the most out of that.
Finally, my Utah Jazz. I just hate this trade for Utah. We lose two starters and our sixth man for three players that will never play a game for us and a protected first round pick. I just don't get it. I understand they are rebuilding and getting picks is probably the most important thing right now, but only getting one for three of our most important contributors seems wild to me. I do appreciate jumping into a full tank, and I hope that pays off this year, but I just think the Jazz could have gotten more.
pc: via Twitter