By ESPN
After three-plus tumultuous years and a second trade request in eight months, All-NBA forward Kevin Durant was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns for a package that includes dynamic forward Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four unprotected future first-round picks, sources told ESPN on Wednesday night.
In a deal that landed in the late-night hours ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, Durant and T.J. Warren were shuttled to the Suns for a massive haul of first-round draft picks (2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029) and a 2028 pick swap, sources said.
Talks had progressed and stalled, and the Suns appeared to be pivoting toward a three-way deal that might’ve landed them Atlanta‘s John Collins sometime Thursday morning, sources said. On the direction of his new owner, Mat Ishbia, general manager James Jones texted Nets GM Sean Marks sometime after 11 p.m. ET — and it wouldn’t be long until Ishbia and Nets owner Joe Tsai had cobbled together the final elements of the blockbuster trade, sources said.
The deal delivers Durant to the desert to partner with Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton — and ends the great superstar experiment in Brooklyn. Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden all arrived to conquer the NBA together, and they all left on the muscle of trade requests. They played a total of 16 games together.
