Before their blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler before the mid-season deadline, the Golden State Warriors had another even bigger deal in place to reunite with 2x Finals MVP Kevin Durant.
The under pressure Suns were ready to accept a deal that likely would have netted them Butler and further assets, only for Durant to block the trade because he didn't want to move teams mid-season.
The rest -- as they say -- is history. The Warriors got their hands on Butler and have since gone 23-6 with the 6x All-Star, while the Suns have only further collapsed into disaster and will miss the playoffs despite having the highest payroll in the league.
Kevin Durant's choice not to join the Warriors continues to hurt the Suns
Given Golden State appeared incredibly desperate just before the deadline, it's ironic that Durant's decision not to re-join them has worked out incredibly well. It's also bound to get worse from a Suns perspective, meaning it's the failed trade that keeps on giving from a Warrior perspective.
Instead of potentially giving up multiple first-round picks and a young player or two for Durant, Golden State gave up what's bound to be one solitary pick outside the lottery, and retained all their youth.
On the other hand, Phoenix missed an opportunity to get close to full value for Durant, and may now have to settle for unders simply to ensure they get some flexibility for their roster. That's the opinion of ESPN's Brian Windhorst as the Suns prepare for a huge offseason ahead.
"It could be that the Suns have to look at making a trade where flexibility is their number one priority. Not necessarily because they want that to be the number one priority, but because their way out of this is to be able to change and be flexible with the roster," Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast.
The other issue for the Suns is that come the offseason, Durant will be on an expiring contract and therefore have considerable say in where he ends up. No team is going to give up considerable assets if it's only a 12-month rental, which is exactly why we aren't seeing Durant in a Warrior jersey right now.
It could become problematic if Durant joins a close Western Conference rival, but otherwise this whole situation benefits them because the Suns are on the precipice of blowing it up. For a team who Golden State see four times in a season, and who have made the playoff in each of the last four years, that's an important deal.
Now the question is whether the Warriors themselves revisit trade discussions for Durant, though that would appear unlikely given just how good Butler has been over the last two months.
