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• Empire of the Suns: Let’s examine the Kevin Durant trade market in its early days

But Durant did not lift the team, either. He will scream otherwise, overwhelming his critics with statistics and stans, but we’ve all watched every one of these games with our own eyes. The Suns got worse every year that Durant was on the roster. Team chemistry was always a soggy mattress. And coincidence or not, Devin Booker regressed in his presence.

Yet for some, there seems to be an obligation for the Suns to do right by Durant, by trading him to a preferred franchise willing to extend his contract for an additional two years. They think it’s rude to make a player of Durant’s pedigree work for a new contract at that age, in a city he did not choose.

Garbage. If Durant had delivered a title to Phoenix, or even a deep playoff run, or if he even attempted a single desperation heave for the good of the team and the detriment of his shooting percentage, I might be more sympathetic.

But the Suns are in a ditch. The teams willing to extend Durant’s contract don’t want to add to the bill by sending premium players and assets to Phoenix in exchange. Not when they’re committing another $100 million to a player about to turn 37. Not when they think the Suns’ inexperienced front office is ripe for the taking.

Durant’s fears are valid. If the Suns trade him to a city not on his list (Toronto, Minnesota), he’s going to have to play on an expiring contract in 2025-26, with all the intense scrutiny that commands. He will either change his mind or leave another city in the lurch. His controversial legacy will again be a summer cookout for all the hot take shows.

So, can the Suns loop in a third team to give Durant what he wants? Could they trade him to Minnesota, teaming him with the brash Anthony Edwards, in a pairing that everyone in the NBA seems to covet except Durant? In terms of bluffing and posturing, the whole saga seems too much to handle for rookie general manager Brian Gregory. But we know he’s not running the show alone. And if the Suns are scaring Durant’s camp by threats of peddling him somewhere he does not want to go, then it means they’re playing their cards properly.

No quarter asked. No quarter given. All that matters is the best deal for the Suns, a team currently mocked and ridiculed by most of the national media, a team that needs to mind their own best interests. A team that cannot afford the price of etiquette and empathy.

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta mornings from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports.