Original title: No one wants the Suns to keep Ayton out of Durant’s fight for the league’s top card?
After the Pacers offered DeAndre Ayton a four-year, $133 million contract, Suns general manager James Jones made a decision within three minutes to complete the match and retain the potential big man.
Before that, the Suns had been the frontrunner for Durant’s next home. The online offer was Ayton + Bridges + some first-round picks, but the Nets had no interest. Even if you want to change, maybe only by taking Devin Booker to impress the Nets. Obviously the sun doesn’t want to do that.
After re-signing Ayton, the trade was completely blocked. Ayton cannot be traded until January 16, 2023, Beijing time, and has a trade veto throughout the 2022-23 season. In other words, if the Suns stick with Booker, they have little chance of acquiring Durant until at least next year’s offseason.
After leaving Ayton, the Suns’ total salary in the new season will reach 167 million US dollars, which exceeds the luxury tax line by 17 million and needs to pay 34.88 million luxury tax. Since the 2009-10 season, the Suns have not paid the luxury tax for 13 consecutive years. The Suns owner Savor, who has always been known for his miserliness, has to start paying the luxury tax, but retaining Ayton at a relatively satisfactory price and retaining the Suns’ core team to continue to hit higher goals in the future still shows that the Suns want to Capturing Paul’s ambition to continue making a difference in his limited career.
After the main structure of Paul + Booker + Bridges + Ayton was basically stable, the rumors of Durant and the Suns also temporarily came to an end.
Not only the Suns, but many teams have also withdrawn from the Durant battle one after another, not because they don’t want it, but because they can’t afford it.
The Nets are asking for two All-Star-level players and a number of first-round picks. Here’s a look at their asking price for Durant’s potential next home:
Timberwolves: Towns + Edwards + four first-round picks, the Timberwolves withdrew;
Raptors: Siakam + Barnes + four first-round picks, the Raptors were unwilling to give Barnes, and the offer was aborted;
Heat: Adebayor + Hero + first-round picks are the core chips, the Heat will not trade Adebayor, and the offer is aborted.
……
Are the Nets’ asking price a lion’s mouth? Obviously not.
It has been a long time since a player of Durant’s level has appeared in the trading market, and it is extremely difficult and expensive to operate. Plus, and most importantly, this Nets quote actually states:We don’t want to send Durant away.
For the Nets, Durant’s value and importance are self-evident. With him, the Nets will always retain box office and championship hopes. It is almost impossible to use him to exchange for a player of the same level. You can only exchange the whole money for change. Although these “changes” are acceptable in combat effectiveness, the gap in level and talent cannot be made up. Basketball is not a simple superposition of numbers, and the super-giant game ability cannot be filled with numbers.
It’s impossible for the Nets to not understand these truths, but who doesn’t want to lose face. “You (Durant) is leaving, and there is an uproar. How can I compromise in a low voice? Please stay.” So Durant applied for a trade, and the Nets also actively communicated with the teams. The asking price is here, not I don’t want to trade you, but other teams don’t want to pay the price.
In this game, the Nets have the absolute initiative. Prior to joining the Warriors and the Nets, Durant was a free agent, free to come and go, but this time, he just signed a four-year super maximum salary with the Nets, and he has no trade veto power. So his fate is completely in the hands of the Nets.
Let’s talk about Durant, is he really willing to go? I don’t think so.
We have analyzed many times before that Durant is likely to stay with the Nets, so I won’t go into details.Is there a possibility that neither Durant nor Irving are gone?
In fact, in my opinion, Durant’s request for a trade is a helpless move. He was caught between Irving and the Nets. Since the Nets were unwilling to renew his good brother Irving to a long-term contract, he pressured the management in this way and hoped that the management would compromise.
But this time, the Nets did not compromise. Therefore, Durant, who failed to force the palace, was completely put there, in a dilemma.
Durant obviously does not want to leave Brooklyn. After any team gets Durant at such a big price, it is not necessarily stronger than the Nets. He is very clear about this.
Therefore, neither the Nets nor Durant actually want to break up, but neither of them wants to pierce this layer of window paper, and the two sides can only waste time. By the time the new season begins, this matter will be over. (Editor: Sheng Zhe)Return to Sohu, see more