Things were looking up for the Suns. They made the most impactful trade at the deadline, never mind that they gave up a bevy of first-round picks along with a couple of rotation regulars in the process. That they acquired Kevin Durant in return automatically made them winners of the deal. In one fell swoop, their prospects dramatically improved; they went from being one of handfuls of challengers to being legitimate contenders for the title. And the positive outlook looked to extend outside the court as well; the arrival of the 13-time All-Star served to counteract the cloud of uncertainty cast by the investigation on, and subsequent departure of, owner Robert Sarver.
For a while there, Durant performed exactly as advertised. He fit in right away, with his willingness to share the ball and let the game come to him despite his gravitas as arguably the National Basketball Association’s most potent scorer of all time making the Suns greater than the sum of their parts. And, not, were their parts top notch. Alongside backcourt starters Devin Booker and Chris Paul, they had the potential to flummox the opposition with midrange mastery. Three straight victories since he came on board had them in better position to secure homecourt advantage in the first round of the postseason.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck. Once again, Durant suffered a sprain to his left ankle while warming up — yes, warming up — for what was supposed to be his debut at the Footprint Center. The freak injury figures to have him sidelined for at least three weeks. In other words, the best-case scenario has him returning to the lineup close to the start of the playoffs. At the very least, it’s a blow to their intent to finish the regular season at the top of the Western Conference. In any case, it’s a reflection of their vulnerability; the one-of-one marquee name they spread the welcome mat for has become an iffy proposition.
The Suns knew this, of course, and even if they were told Durant would be missing matches every now and then, they still would have made the trade. And they’re only right to have done so, because he’s that good. At the same time, there can be no escaping the fact that they’re letting their fate in the medium term be dictated by a fragile foundation. Since 2019, he has showed up in a grand total of 148 contests, the playoffs included. Which is to say they mortgaged their future for a brittle battler, and only a championship will make the gamble pay off.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
