This is not how the Phoenix Suns envisioned things would go for them when they pulled off a blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant in 2023. In Durant’s second full season in the Valley, the Suns are on the outside looking in on the play-in tournament picture, as they currently have a 28-32 record, which has them at the 11th spot in the conference. And it looks like wholesale changes will be coming for the Suns if they don’t find a way to make it to this year’s playoffs.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Suns will be looking into potential trades for Durant should they continue to fall off the pace in the Western Conference’s ever-competitive playoff race.

“Unless there is a significant run here into the playoffs for the Phoenix Suns, league sources believe that there will be real changes coming to the Suns. From a roster standpoint, that likely starts with Kevin Durant,” Charania said on Sunday’s ESPN NBA Countdown. “This offseason, from my understanding, what it would look like is that the Suns and Durant will work together on any potential trade to a contender.”

There was a chance that Durant could have been traded away by the Suns prior to this year’s trade deadline, but the 36-year-old star showed no willingness to give up on his situation in the Valley just yet. But if nothing changes regarding the Suns’ fortunes, then there will be many teams hot on Durant’s tail.

“I would expect four to six contending teams with some serious involvement in Durant. He’s still playing at a really high level. He’s extension-eligible in the offseason too,” Charania added.

While Charania didn’t mention any specific teams, expect the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Miami Heat, among others, to express significant interest in a Durant trade.

Suns emerge as cautionary tale in rushed roster-building

To start the 2020s, the Suns were on the rise; they drafted well, building a core led by Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton, and Cam Johnson which was then supplemented by the veteran additions of Chris Paul and Jae Crowder. They made it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2021 and had the best record in the league in 2022.

The Suns then decided to go all-in, stripping the team of its depth by bringing Kevin Durant in. And they did not stop there; they traded Ayton for Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen, requiring the team to part ways with a first-round pick to get rid of the latter down the line, and then they traded Paul for Bradley Beal — saddling the franchise with arguably the worst contract in the NBA. And now, the Suns are paying the price for their impatience.