The Phoenix Suns stunned the basketball world when they swung a massive trade for superstar Kevin Durant just prior to the NBA trade deadline.
Plenty of people are now picking them to reach the NBA Finals, if not win the world championship, as they may possess the best starting five in the league that will feature Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.
However, Fox Sports 1 personality Nick Wright says fans should dial back their expectations for the Suns just a bit.
“‘Championship or failure’ is a little too harsh for a team that was put together at the 60% mark of the season.”
— @getnickwright on the Phoenix Suns: pic.twitter.com/zHcpCxo8aF
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 21, 2023
The Suns could very well end up winning it all, and they certainly have a great shot at reaching the championship series this summer.
However, there are still some question marks surrounding the team.
Wright alluded to the fact that this trade came past the midway point of the season, and it is never easy to integrate a superstar such as Durant at midseason.
His new teammates will have to build chemistry with him and vice versa, which means some guys will have to sacrifice in order to accommodate him.
In particular, Booker will have to take something of a back seat, as he will no longer be Phoenix’s top option, and it remains to be seen how well he handles that.
Booker and Durant are both one-on-one isolation-oriented players, so the Suns will have to figure out how to not be mechanical on offense.
In addition, they seem to lack depth, and they lost their best defender in Mikal Bridges, and if they’re lacking on the defensive end, they could set themselves up for an upset in the second or third round of the playoffs.
Wright has a good point when he says winning the NBA title may be too harsh an expectation right now, but if Phoenix doesn’t do so, its chances may decline moving forward, and with multiple first-round draft picks owed to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Durant trade, the clock is certainly ticking for it.
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