Wednesday night was a big one for the Phoenix Suns. It was the first glimpse at what is to come for the remainder of the NBA season as Kevin Durant made his highly anticipated debut with the franchise.
Durant was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the trade deadline as part of what materialized into a four-team trade. His acquisition is one that changed the entire landscape of the league as the Suns are now considered by many to be the favorites not only in the Western Conference but for the NBA Championship.
It is hard to argue against that as they boast a star-studded lineup. Durant joins a starting lineup that has Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and the recently impressive Josh Okogie. On Wednesday, they made it look easy against the Charlotte Hornets, winning 105-91.
Durant played well in his debut, playing 27 minutes. It will likely take a few games before that number starts to tick up as he is on a minutes restriction out of the gate, but he still put up good numbers.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets & Phoenix Suns Updates
He shot 10-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-4 from 3-point range en route to 23 points. Durant also grabbed six rebounds with two assists and two blocks in a well-rounded game. After the win, he spoke about how things are beginning to settle down for him in his new surroundings.
“Once I moved and settled down in Phoenix, things settled down,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “But it wasn’t gonna settle down until I played. I need a week or so … mentally, I was on one team and now so quickly I’m on another team. I’ve never been through that before. I’m just trying to wrap my mind around all this.”
He is hoping to lead the Suns to a championship, something he fell short of doing with the Nets and Kyrie Irving. How everything transpired over the last few months still requires some wrapping your head around, but Durant was not shy when talking about it after the game.
“I’m processing it right now. It’s a business, it’s how I’m looking at it,” Durant said. “I’m not the first one to get traded or ask for a trade. I don’t look at myself or my status in the league that I can’t go through what other players in the league go through.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets & Phoenix Suns Updates
Durant is correct that he isn’t the first player to ask for a trade and get dealt and will certainly not be the last. When he signed his extension, he had a vision of how things would go and once that vision was no longer aligned with the franchise, a change of scenery was best for both parties.
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