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Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif
The subject of weeks-long negotiations, Kevin Durant finally got his way on Sunday, leaving the Suns to join Houston. And according to one insider, this could precipitate the departure of another of the league’s big names.
So we didn’t have to wait until the final hours before the Draft to find out the outcome of this soap opera. Kevin Durant was expected to leave the Suns before the ceremony scheduled for this Wednesday in the United States, but he finally discovered his destination on Sunday. He’ll be playing in Houston next season, which was one of his favorite destinations as a former member of the University of Texas.
In addition to this return to his roots, the Slim Reaper can rejoice in sporting terms. After all, the Rockets are coming off a season that finished in 2nd place in the Western Conference, and have retained most of their weapons in the deal concluded in the last few hours. This should make them a strong contender for the title next year… unlike Phoenix, whose roster is still subject to some major changes.
A new major trade in the works for the Suns?
Although they had to say goodbye to Durant, the Suns nonetheless picked up an interesting counterpart. Dillon Brooks should be of great service, while Jalen Green, should he stay with the franchise, has great potential. On the other hand, these two arrivals seem to doom the future of another of the team’s big names, Bradley Beal. John Gambadoro tells The Kevin O’Connor Show:
John Gambadoro: Bradley Beal won’t be part of this team. They’ll look to trade him – surely not to Charlotte – and if that doesn’t work out, they’ll work on a buyout of his contract. For that matter, maybe they’ll trade him for a player they’ll eventually part with via a buyout. In any case, I already said three months ago that there’s a 0% chance Bradley Beal will stay in Phoenix this summer, and I’m going to stick to it.
Having arrived in Arizona in the 2023 off-season from Washington, Beal seemed destined to form a formidable Big Three alongside KD and Devin Booker. In the end, this star-studded partnership didn’t really work out, as the former Wizards guard never recovered the level that had made him a multiple All-Star in the East. All the more reason why he is likely to end his adventure there soon.
It remains to be seen which franchise would be willing to take him on. The list is likely to be short, given his XXL contract ($110 million over the next two years) and his relatively low production on the pitch. It’s therefore possible that his managers will be forced to conclude a buyout, which would make his time at PHX an abject failure.
