Kyrie Irving’s trade request changed everything for the Nets. In the blink of an eye, Brooklyn lost the two remaining players from the big three it once had. A year after James Harden was traded, Irving and Kevin Durant followed suit.
Though KD also requested a trade earlier this season, Kyrie’s departure led to his inevitable exit this time. The Suns made the most out of this situation, pulling off a deal to bring Durant.
The expectations in Phoenix are now through the roof, as Durant may be the missing piece for the team to win a championship. Chris Paul feels this is a lifetime opportunity, and he hopes Devin Booker sees it the same way.
Chris Paul wants Devin Booker not to take Kevin Durant’s presence for granted
“It’s different,” Paul told ESPN about having Durant as teammate. “It’s taken some getting used to. I was telling [Devin Booker] the other day, I played with a lot of great players — I got a chance to play with Blake [Griffin], I got a chance to play with David West early in my career, I played with James [Harden] — [but] probably never two guys of this caliber, as far as Devin and KD. … I know I’m not taking it for granted. I told [Booker] not to.
“I think me, in my position, I’ve seen teams like this form and then I always wonder, ‘Well, how are they going to play? How are they going to play? That’s the natural thing. I think the thing that I appreciate the most is just knowing. … I know how much [Durant] loves the game of basketball. And the same thing with Book. So just that appreciation for knowing how, above all this, they just love hoopin’ like myself, I think that’s a good feeling.”
Paul and Booker have taken the Suns to new heights, but they still fell short from a championship. Durant knows a thing or two about winning rings, so this could be a match made in heaven.