Inside The Suns

Could Suns Have Traded Kevin Durant For Luka Doncic?

The Phoenix Suns watched as Luka Doncic was traded to the division rival Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season, but could they have swooped in with a better offer?
Jeremy Brener|
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic against Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic against Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Phoenix SunsLos Angeles LakersDallas Mavericks

The Phoenix Suns and the rest of the NBA are still in a bit of a state of shock after Luka Doncic was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in early February.

The move was done completely under-the-radar as rumors never surfaced that Doncic, a 25-year-old superstar, was even on the move. The only team included in trade discussions for Doncic was the Lakers, sending Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a future first-round pick to acquire him.

Though Davis is a superstar himself and Christie is a rising role player, the shock of the deal came with the lack of first-round picks included in the trade.

The Suns don't have many first-round picks at their disposal, leading ESPN insider Bobby Marks to suggest that Phoenix may have been able to acquire Doncic had they parted with Kevin Durant and three first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029.

"The Suns can't aggregate contracts and Bradley Beal has a no-trade clause. Those two restrictions would leave Phoenix with the option of trading Durant or Devin Booker," Marks writes.

"Booker is eight years younger than Durant and has three years left on his contract after this season. Durant has one. The three first-round picks are the maximum Phoenix could trade."

The Suns would have been left literally empty without any picks to work with, but a pairing between Doncic and Booker would have built Phoenix into a top-tier contender.

The Suns made an error when they passed on Doncic with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, and a trade like this would have corrected that mistake.

However, the team is left without Doncic again and a lot of question marks as it goes into the offseason.

The Suns have two more games left in the regular season against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday and Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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