Darvin Ham Says Lakers 'Don't Fear Anyone,' Not Even the Kevin Durant-Led Phoenix Suns
The Russell Westbrook era officially came to an end on Wednesday as he was the biggest name in a three-team deal that saw him wind up in Utah, with the Lakers welcoming back a familiar face in D'Angelo Russell. This was just the beginning of multiple moves made by their front office to improve a team that is on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race.
Kyrie Irving was obviously LA's number one target and many were disappointed when the talented point guard wound up in Dallas, including LeBron James himself. The Lakers continued to shop around after failed talks and eventually came to an agreement on Russell.
However, Irving was not the only star player that has found his way out of the Brooklyn Nets. Late Wednesday night, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Kevin Durant would be joining the Phoenix Suns along with TJ Warren in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and an array of draft picks.
Durant was with Brooklyn since 2019, and him making a return to the Western Conference causes a tectonic shift in the NBA. Prior to an MCL sprain earlier this season, he was averaging 30 points per game and was named an All-Star starter.
KD will be joining a big three in Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton that already has a finals appearance together. Losing Johnson and Bridges will hurt the team defensively but Durant's scoring is matched by few, if any, in the league.
The Lakers are currently 4.5 games behind the Suns, and this move following the Laker's landing of Russell will certainly make this last stretch of the season interesting. Phoenix has beat LA in both of their matchups this season by an average of 18 points. However, when asked about the trade, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham says his team doesn't fear anyone in the Western Conference.
The Lakers and Suns have quite the history with each other, having met in the playoffs 13 times since 1970. Most recently, they faced off in 2021 with the Suns coming out on top in the first round 4-2. A lot of controversy followed that series, especially when Anthony Davis expressed his belief that the Lakers would've won if he didn't get hurt in Game 4.
Both LA and Phoenix have new rosters and it should be another exciting battle should they meet again in the postseason.
