The NBA league is currently in the offseason, which is a critical stage for each team to upgrade and strengthen. 2 days ago, NBA The door to this summer's free agent market opened, and a variety of dizzying signings followed. In just one or two days, forty or fifty players have signed new contracts, including some extremely capable superstars. Players such as Jokic, Beal, LaVine, Booker, Zion, and Morant have received maximum salary contracts. Most of the "big fish" this summer have already determined their destinations.
At the same time, the biggest big fish in the entire league is beginning to make a move. He is Nets star Kevin Durant . On July 1, Beijing time, the day the league's free market opened, various media broke the blockbuster news that Durant had applied for a trade to the Nets. This news was like a torpedo dropped on a calm lake, quickly detonating the entire alliance. After that, half of the teams in the league communicated with the Nets and discussed the possibility of trading Durant. Most teams are salivating for this historic superstar.
However, Durant has his own favorite team. The teams he most hopes to join are the Suns in the West and the Heat in the East. These two teams ranked first in the East and West divisions of the regular season last season. In other words, Durant only wants to go to a team that is competitive and capable of competing for the championship. As far as the configurations of the two teams Suns and Heat are concerned, if they can get Durant, they will be very close to the championship. Especially the Suns. Under the leadership of Paul and Booker last season, the Suns had the best record in the league, but they lacked a decisive superstar like Durant.
The Nets' asking price for Durant has also been made clear. They need at least two All-Star players plus a lot of draft picks. The Suns are willing to send Ayton . Ayton has already had a stalemate with the Suns. At most, with the addition of "Bridge" Bridges, the deal is still possible. Of course, the Suns' current salary space and lineup have been fixed, and it is still difficult to trade for Durant. Fortunately, Suns general manager James Jones, as the best manager of the year, is also starting to make relevant preparations.
Today, the Suns quickly completed a moderate transaction. According to a report by Shams of The Athletic, multiple sources revealed that the Suns acquired Australian center Jock Langdale from the Hawks. According to The Athletic's Hawks reporter Chris Kirschner, sources said the team received some cash from the deal. In the previous Dejounte Murray deal, Langdale was sent to the Hawks from the Spurs. In the past 2021-22 season, Landale played 54 regular season games for the Spurs, averaging 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game.
The Suns traded for Landale, which is considered to have found an alternative for Ayton's departure. Landale has a tough style of play. If Ayton is eventually signed by another team, or becomes a bargaining chip to acquire Durant, Landale can make up for the vacancy left by Ayton's departure to a certain extent. This deal is also considered by some media to pave the way for the Suns to trade Durant. After this, the Suns can safely and boldly clean up Ayton, leaving room for Durant to join. Let's see if the Suns can welcome Durant to join!
