NBA Mock Trade: Suns get rid of Kevin Durant to give Zion Williamson a chance at redemption in blockbuster proposal

Recently, there have been rumors about Kevin Durant potentially being on the move. He’s been tied to the Houston Rockets multiple times, but reports state that the Rockets don’t want to break up their young core to get an aging player.

Whatever the case may be, Durant is most likely going to be traded in the offseason. Even though he’s 36 years old, he should have no shortage of potential suitors.

With that in mind, Redditor Mattygz____On-IG had an interesting proposition in the r/NBAtradeideas community to get the two-time NBA champion to the New Orleans Pelicans.

In his proposed scenario, Zion Williamson and Kelly Olynyk would be traded to the Phoenix Suns, while Kevin Durant and Royce O'Neal move to the Pelicans.

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This makes sense for both parties since the Pelicans are reportedly open to exploring their options with Williamson, who has yet to play a single minute in the playoffs because of his struggles with injuries.

Williamson might benefit from a change of scenery and the Suns would get another potential star to pair with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

The Pelicans, on the other hand, would get a clean slate with Durant, who's also struggled with injuries, but not as much as their former No. 1 pick.

The Suns are actively trying to move on from Kevin Durant

Even if the Suns don't send Durant to the Pelicans, it seems like they've already made up their minds about him, and they're even willing to lower their asking price for him, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic:

"Phoenix is aggressive in pursuit of a) trading Kevin Durant and b) regaining full control of their draft capital starting with the No. 10 pick in next month’s draft, team sources said," wrote Iko.

The Suns almost traded Durant at the trade deadline, but he reportedly turned down a return to the Bay Area and the Golden State Warriors. Even so, the player is already aware of their attempt to trade him, so it will be hard to rebuild confidence after that.

All signs point to Durant's days playing next to Devin Booker are over, and it's not a matter of if he will be traded, but where he will be traded to.

He's not getting any younger, but he's still one of the most efficient three-level scorers in the game of basketball.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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