15 Years Later, Kevin Durant Surpasses Shaquille O’Neal in a Coveted List of Traded Players With Most Points

The dust around the trade deadline has finally settled on the NBA universe. The 2022-23 deadline proved to be one of the most eventful trade deadlines in recent days and the shockwaves it sent shall surely reverberate in the league for some time.

Arguably the biggest domino to fall was the Brooklyn Nets moving Kyrie Irving after his trade request. This prompted a flurry of moves, the most shocking of which involved his Nets teammate Kevin Durant.

The former MVP and 4x scoring champion was moved to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster deal. The move instantly elevated the Suns right back into championship contention after what seemed like a lull.

While the Suns aren’t known for making trades of such a nature, this wasn’t the first time they moved the earth to acquire an established NBA name. Shaquille O’Neal had made the move to the Valley in 2008 in a move of similar proportions.

Also Read: “Suns Are Championship Contenders”: Magic Johnson Crowns Phoenix’s Acquisition of 13x All-Star Kevin Durant As the Best Trade Before Deadline

O’Neal was the player with the most career points at the time of a midseason trade, until now.

When the Big Diesel was traded in 2008, the Suns were acquiring someone with 25,924 points to their name. An all-time high at the time.

Shaquille O’Neal was a force to be reckoned with. And despite his advancing age, was only 2 years removed from a starring role in Miami Heat‘s first NBA championship run.

The two players with the most career points at the time of a midseason trade in NBA history have both gone to the @Suns:

2023: Suns trade for Kevin Durant (26,684 points)
2008: Suns trade for Shaquille O’Neal (25,924 points)

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) February 9, 2023

Kevin Durant, however, has shattered Shaq’s honor by around 700 points. Durant is now the highest-scoring player of all-time to be traded midseason. Whether that can be taken as a compliment or a diss is upon Durant and his entourage.

At 34, Durant has continued to play at an MVP level and will surely make the Suns’ favorites to win the league. Teaming up with a legendary point guard in Steve Nash awaited Shaq at the time. This time, Durant also teams up with a guard with similar status in the league, Chris Paul.

The trade also marked up another record, this time shared between the Point God and KD together.

This sets up the first time a 4x scoring champ teams up with a 4x assist leader.

A historical pairing awaits The Valley. While Paul’s scoring output has drastically gone down, adding Kevin Durant surely alleviates that load on him. And with the Point God’s laser vision feeding him and not taking many shots of him, expect KD to pop off for a boatload of points.

4-time scoring champ, Kevin Durant, joins 4-time assist champ, Chris Paul.

This will be the 1st instance of a 4-time scoring champ and a 4-time assist champ playing together. pic.twitter.com/nlgjAA9bq2

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 9, 2023

Adding Devin Booker, another bonafide bucket to this duo is a scary proposition indeed for the league. The Eastern Conference just got a lot less heavy at the top, and the West just became a scavenger fest.

As Shaquille O’Neal termed it, the ‘Mid Range Mafia’ is here. The league might just not be ready for it too.

Also read: “Kevin Durant Loves the Game”: Chris Paul and Monty Williams Are Excited About the Suns’ New Superstar Addition