The Phoenix Suns may have finally closed the Kevin Durant chapter, but the fallout from his trade to the Houston Rockets is far from over. The Suns received Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, five second-round picks, and the No. 10 overall pick in this week’s draft—but that return is now being heavily scrutinized after reports surfaced of a far better offer they passed on.
According to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers were quietly in the mix and had offered All-Star guard Darius Garland for Durant. Despite his recent injury concerns, Garland averaged 20.6 points and shot over 40% from three on the No. 1 seed in the East. That’s a significantly more proven return than what Phoenix got.
However, Durant and his camp reportedly had full control over the process, vetoing trades to both Cleveland and Golden State earlier in the year. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst confirmed that Durant prioritized going to Houston—and did so at a cut-rate cost.
As the Suns shift focus to the future, their attention turns to the No. 10 pick. With glaring frontcourt needs, 6′7″ forward Collin Murray-Boyles is emerging as a strong draft target. The Suns are hoping he can develop into a high-upside contributor, but missing out on Garland will sting for a long time.
(This is a building story….)
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