What Will it Take for Suns to Land Kevin Durant?

The Phoenix Suns are back in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.

According to NBA Insider Chris Haynes, the Suns are ready to pursue Durant if he were to become available. With the Brooklyn Nets trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, the idea of Durant being made available is not so far-fetched.

Phoenix may be interested in Durant, but the question is what will it take to acquire him? As we learned last summer, the Nets won’t give him up easily.

Judging from the last round of negotiations, the Suns will have to trade either Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, potentially even both of them. For a player like Durant, Brooklyn will be looking for young players with high upside. Bridges and Johnson fit that description perfectly and should be the Nets' primary target in a deal.

Another young piece that Brooklyn may now be interested in is Deandre Ayton despite reportedly refusing him over the summer.

At only 24-years-old, Ayton still has the potential to be a top center in the NBA but it just has not been working out in Phoenix for him thus far. A change of scenery could be good for the young center and he still has trade value to where he can be an integral part in a Durant package.

It is notable that Ayton has a veto rights to any trade for the first year of his new deal, so he would be able to dictate if he stays or goes.

It was reported that the Suns offered Jae Crowder and Chris Paul in a trade proposal for Irving, so they are definitely willing to part ways with these two players if it were in exchange for Durant.

Crowder has sat out for the entire season up to this point. While he is not an All-Star caliber player or young asset, Crowder is a serviceable role player whose salary could help match that of Durant’s.

The 37-year-old Paul is hitting the twilight phase of his career and while he is still able to produce at a high level from time to time, his production has definitely fallen off. Since the Suns already reportedly offered Paul in a trade, the veteran point guard may be frustrated with the organization and know his time is dwindling in the Valley.

The players Phoenix will give up in a Durant trade is one thing, but the draft capital they will be forced to mortgage will also come with that.

In a trade where the Utah Jazz sent Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves this past offseason, the Timberwolves sent three four first-round picks and one pick swap to acquire the 7-foot-1 center. This deal completely shifted the value of All-Star caliber players, a major reason why Durant was not dealt during the summer.

If the Suns want to get Durant, they will have to trade around four first-round picks. It may seem like a lot, but to get a superstar talent like Durant is a once in a generation opportunity for any NBA team, and Phoenix may have to take that risk.

Adding Durant to an already loaded Suns team could very well lead to a championship in the near future, which is something general manager James Jones has to account for moving forward.