PHOENIX — Another offseason, another time period where Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant sees his name among trade speculation and rumors alike.
Much has been said – and made – about Durant’s play and future standing in the Valley. Considered to be one of the greatest scorers to ever play, championship or bust expectations follow the Slim Reaper nearly everywhere.
Factoring in Phoenix’s other stars in Devin Booker/Bradley Beal, noise has been reasonably loud since the Suns were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With two years left on Durant’s deal, the Suns hope to plan at least one championship parade while he’s still in the Valley.
While some believe Durant is slowing down as he turns 36 later this year, The Athletic still has him as one of the top players in the league, slotting him as one of six players in Tier 1 of their NBA rankings along the likes of Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
More from The Athletic’s Seth Partnow:
“Remarkably, a 62.6 true shooting percentage on 29.0 usage represents a down year for Kevin Durant, even compared to just the post-Achilles tear section of his career. The poorly constructed and extremely top-heavy Phoenix Suns roster did him few favors, which raises a question that has only factored tangentially into the tiers over the years: How much should player influence on roster decisions and coaching hires be factored in?
“It’s a challenge to do so systematically. At least from the outside, who advocated for what move or how much weight an organization gives to a star’s wishes are difficult to determine. But the balance of reporting indicates that Brooklyn/Phoenix era Durant has demanded many things and received most of them, including the hiring and firing of coaches.
“It is often said that coaches shouldn’t be GMs because there isn’t enough time in the day to do both jobs well. This holds even more true for players. But how much is it on the players when it happens? It’s a hard one to judge, but it’s something that likely needs to enter the calculus when considering later career superstars such as Durant, LeBron James or one or two others.
“All of this is to note that Durant barely maintained his spot in Tier 1 this year and will need a strong performance — including the playoffs — in 2024-25 to be worthy of staying here.”
Durant finished ahead of some notable Tier 2 names such as LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jayson Tatum among others.
