,Getting rid of Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, and a few draft picks, the Phoenix Suns have managed to acquire Bradley Beal in the first major trade of this offseason. Having signed a five-year $251,000,000 deal last year with the Washington Wizards, Beal’s addition means that the Desert franchise now has three players on the roster with max deals. Despite the high price tag, the firepower of the All-Star trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Beal has fans around the league excited. While several pundits are dubbing the Arizona side as favorites to win the 2024 Championship, NBA analyst Chris Broussard is of a different opinion. Having lost faith in Durant, the FS1 analyst doesn’t believe that the veteran power forward can be expected to lead a team to a title.
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After parting ways with the Golden State Warriors, KD joined forces with Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. Later, the duo would welcome the 2018 NBA MVP James Harden to form a Big Three in the league. Despite being regarded as the most skillful offensive trio in history, the Nets would end up falling short in the postseason. Furthermore, following Harden’s departure, Ben Simmons’ addition would also result in no success.
Irrespective of Booker’s claims of the Suns not being a ‘super team’, they were expected to win it all this season. Having been unable to win the title with yet another star-studded roster, Broussard expressed his doubts over KD’s ability to be a good leader.
Chris Broussard doesn’t believe Kevin Durant can lead the Suns to a Championship
On the recent episode of First Things First, the panel discussed the blockbuster Bradley Beal trade and its impact on their title odds. Agreeing with Nick Wright, Broussard didn’t back the Phoenix squad to be the immediate winners. Despite being a powerhouse in the West, the Fox Sports analyst didn’t have enough faith in the Slim Reaper being able to lead his team to the title. During the trade conversation on the FS1 show, Broussard said:
“I think pressure is the product of expectations. I’m past the point in really expecting a championship from Kevin Durant. He hasn’t been good in the last two postseasons by his standards. Boston made him look unlike I’ve ever seen him look, two years ago.”
Additionally, the 54-year-old claimed that if the Suns were to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy, D-Book would be the main guy leading the team. Broussard did believe that KD would be getting a lot of credit if such an occasion does arise. However, according to him, Booker would be leading the team in points and assists. The analyst added:
“If they win a Championship, and I don’t think they will, Durant would get credit and deservedly so. But if they were to win a Championship, I think Devin Booker will be the guy leading them…I like his[Booker] mentality more, I think he’s more of a leader. I think he has a strong personality… So I think Booker will be the guy averaging more points and assists as he did in these playoffs.”
To be fair, Broussard isn’t incorrect with this take.
This postseason, we witnessed the 6-foot-5 guard dominate like nobody on the Suns roster. Eclipsing KD’s 29 PPG performance, the former Kentucky Wildcat went on a scoring rampage all playoff long (33.7 PPG). Durant did fill up the stat sheet on a nightly basis. However, his productivity over the last two postseasons has deteriorated substantially.
Chris Paul learned about his trade while he was on a flight
Leading the Suns to their first playoff appearance after a 10-year period, CP3 had a fairly good stint with the franchise. Having spent three years with the team, one would naturally assume that the front office would’ve handled his trade with some respect.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Mat Ishbia and co. didn’t think it was important to inform Paul of the decision themselves. In an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America”, the “Point God” revealed that he learned about the trade while he was on a plane. It was his son’s text that made him aware of his move to Washington.
Clearly, the NBA is a big business and things can sometimes get messy. But NBA fans would keep their eyes fixated on the Phoenix Suns next season as they try to top the loaded Western Conference next season.
