June 20, 2025 • 9 mins
PHNX Sports Gerald Bourguet joins The A-Team to talks all things surrounding Kevin Durant trade, where he could land and what's new with trade locations coming into the weekend.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Back here on the A Team halfway through our number two,
so that means three point thirty here Central time. We
take it out West. Adam Wesler and Adam Clinton here
with you on the A team talk little for the
first time all day.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Haha.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Kevin Durant and the possibilities of him landing here in Houston,
the lead sons writer for Phoenix Sports at Phoenix Underscore Sports,
same thing for the podcast that he co hosts, Gerald
Borgay joining us here on the A Team in Houston. Jerald,
I spent a little time with some people in Phoenix
over the last two weeks and conversations about these possibilities
from a media standpoint, and I think we're all kind
(00:41):
of circling the wagons on what possibly tips the scale
one way or the other. But being there in Phoenix,
since we had a discussion about it earlier, what were
the vibes of Kevin Durant, the player leader of the Suns,
during the time that he's been there all through this
obviously not very fun time of not winning a lot
of basketball games.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah, I mean it's tough to explain because, on the
one hand, individually as a player, he is still an
all NBA caliber player. You know, the only reason he
wasn't an All NBA selection this year was because he
didn't meet the threshold for games the season before. He
played in seventy five, and he was one of the
top ten players in the league still and defensively, he's
been their best player over the last two years in
(01:21):
addition to being you know, one A on the offensive
end efficient as ever, handle is great and still get
to his spots like he's he's still Kevin Durant. But
at the same time, you look at the results for
the Suns over these last two years, not a single
playoff win. They missed the playoffs the play in entirely
this year, so it's kind of hard to figure out
(01:43):
his value. On top of the fact that he's turning
thirty seven in a few months. So I understand why teams,
especially the teams that can trade for Kevin Durant that
are maybe a little bit younger, have been hesitant to
put their best offers forward because trading for a player
like Kevin Durant, obviously he can help you win, especially
if you have the infrastructure to make that trade and
not be crippled by what you have left. But it's
(02:07):
hard to put your best foot forward when you could
just stay patient and run it back with your young
guys and see if they take the next step next year.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I think the most fascinating part of this whole scenario
between you know, Houston and Phoenix and all that is
what I want to ask you next. It's not necessarily
questions I have about Kevin Durant or the fact that
he's thirty seven or any of that. What is Phoenix
right now? What is their front office? You know, they've
the head coaches knew, there's been all sorts of turnover,
(02:37):
and then Devin Booker's in the middle of all. This
just kind of give us an idea of what it's
like behind the scenes for the Suns organization right now
while they at the same time happen to be going
through making this kind of pivotal decision.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, this is very much a time of change. Obviously,
the new GM, the new head coach, Matt Ashbia is
still here and he's still very active. And I reported
on this a few weeks ago. There was a letter
that he sent internally to Sons basketball ops saying that
he was going to be more involved instead of you know,
he said he tried to do things the conventional way
(03:11):
by hiring a championship caliber head coach, maybe not necessarily
someone that he personally wanted. And he said he's going
to be extremely active and involved. He's going to you know,
be in alignment with his GM Brian Gregory. That was
the buzzword of Gregory's intro presser. And Gregory obviously has
ties to Ishbia as an assistant coach at Michigan State,
(03:33):
so there is a lot of concern that this was
kind of you know, an epticism higher or getting a
guy in the door who would be a yes man
for Ishbia. And we're gonna have to see how Gregory
does on the job because he's only got one or
two years of front office and experience. Most of his
time around basketball has been as a head coach and
not a front office exec. So there's a lot of
change going on. Devin Booker is on board. He was
(03:55):
on board with the hiring. He was part of the
interview process there and was kind of the guy that
he signed off on. So he's very much involved in
the personnel decisions that are going to be made moving forward.
But at the same time, it's going to be interesting
to see. Okay, you have a new head coach who
has to say, you have a GM who has to say,
you have an owner who's very active and involved. What
(04:15):
happens when you guys aren't aligned to use to have buzzword.
What happens when you have differing opinions on certain prospects
or players or trades. So it's very much up in
the air in terms of what to expect from this
front office moving forward, because it's been pretty revamped compared
to even just a few months ago.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Gerald Borgae of Phoenix Sports joining us here on the
A team on Sports Talk seven to ninety Ishbia has said,
you know, and I believe it's been reported from other
parts of the organization that they need to do what's
best for the organization while we continue to understand their
quote unquote working with Rich Climban and Kevin Durant on
trying to find a home. But there's two different avenues
(04:54):
to take in the return. The discussions it appear about
a return from say Minnesota, would be more about landing
p players that will turn the current Phoenix team into
a much more competitive one, say Rudy Gobert and or
Julius Randall versus San Antonio or Houston trade which brings
in more young assets and potentially draft assets. Where do
you think this really sits inside the building with what
(05:16):
they actually want.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, I think they know that they're not going to
like last year. They entered the season with you know,
title or bust expectations, and obviously that was a bust.
I think expectations heading into this season are going to
be more tempered. They know that with Kevin Durant trade,
they're going to be taking a step backward so that
they can take steps forward in the future. And they're
kind of backed into this position by a you know,
(05:39):
dangling Kevin Durant at the trade deadline and be not
being able to get out of Badly Bill's contract. Something's
got to give and it's Kevin Durant. So I think
expectations are going to be a lot lower than last year.
But I do think that they're probably not wanting to
surrender Kevin Durant for some package of just young players
(06:00):
and you know, a bunch of draft picks. Like they
value their pick from Houston, that number ten pick this
year because it's a top ten pick. I think they
value that pick a lot more than the other two
first rounders that Houston owns from Phoenix, because in their mind,
you know, they think we're going to be competitive by then.
Those picks aren't going to have as much value by
twenty twenty seven and twenty twenty nine. So I think,
(06:23):
you know, if you're trading Kevin Durant, you probably want
some combination of starting caliber players, maybe a young prospect
that can develop into something, and a draft pick or two.
That would be the ideal return. But we know that
the Suns may not have all that leverage right now,
and we know that deals with Houston San Antonio, which
are two of the three places that Kevin Durant wants
to go, you know, the return would primarily revolve around
(06:46):
young players, although in Houston's case, I think the young
players are a little bit more established, and so I
think that would appeal to the Suns. It kind of
feels like each deal that they've been talking about, there's
like one or two pieces that they are waiting for
the other team to relent and give up in order
for that deal to go through, and the other teams,
understandably are maybe not ready to offer that up just yet.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Are you somewhat surprised that Devin Booker wants to stay put,
especially in light of what you said about you know,
they're gonna they're probably not going to be as good
next year, and it's going to be a little bit
of a building process. I mean, this was a guy
who went to the NBA Finals led the Suns there
a few years back. Are you surprised he's not kind
of more of today's NBA player where he kind of
(07:32):
wants to get out the door as well and doesn't
want to stay around for the dirty work.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
I think at some point something has to give on
that front, But as of right now, I'm not surprised.
I think he's been given kind of the keys to
the kingdom here in Phoenix. He is beloved throughout Arizona.
He's kind of the face of Arizona sports out here,
and he knows that like this team with the right
pieces around him, can't compete. He was the best player
(07:55):
on a team that went to the finals. He was
the best player on a sixty four win team set
a franchise record for most wins in franchise history. So
he knows that it can happen here, and I think
his thing all along is you know, he's looked up
to guys like Kobe and Dirk and Tim Duncan who
stayed their entire careers in one place. I think he
(08:16):
told ESPN a few months back, you know, the grass
isn't always greener somewhere else. I think he probably looks
at a guy like Damian Lillard that he's friendly with
and sees how that has developed since Dame left Portland
and understands that. You know, he wants to win a
championship here. He wants to bring the super team to him,
as he said, and he has. He's brought Chris Paul here,
(08:36):
He's brought Kevin Durant here, He's brought Bradley Deal here.
It hasn't worked out, But I don't think that means
he's ready to move on just yet. I think a
few more failed Sons experiments and you know, he's thirty
thirty one and looking around and realizing, okay, maybe I'm
not going to win one here. Then maybe that changes.
But you know, he's due for a contract extension this summer.
He had input on the head coaching search. He's going
(08:58):
to have input on personnel decisions, most likely moving forward.
So I think he understands that he's got a good
situation here and in his mind, if he can bring
a championship to Phoenix, he'll kind of be immortalized as
the greatest player for one of thirty NBA teams. I
think that means a lot to him.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Well, certainly appreciate the inside.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Gerald.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Somewhere down the line, we'll catch back up with you
and see who you think won the multiple locker room
fights that the Sons had this past year per Boovie Cousins,
and we'll get the lowdown on that. But definitely appreciate
you joining us this afternoon and looking forward to a
resolution to where's Kevin Durant playing basketball?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Realk quick before we do, let you go five seconds
or last. Where do you think he ends up?
Speaker 2 (09:35):
I think Houston. I think he does end up Houston.
I think they wind up giving up one of the
pieces that the Suns want and that number ten pick,
and I think it goes to the Rockets. That connection
with Emo Udoka and Royal Ivy does matter. The ad
on Sports Talk seven ninety
Back here on the A Team halfway through our number two,
so that means three point thirty here Central time. We
take it out West. Adam Wesler and Adam Clinton here
with you on the A team talk little for the
first time all day.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Haha.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Kevin Durant and the possibilities of him landing here in Houston,
the lead sons writer for Phoenix Sports at Phoenix Underscore Sports,
same thing for the podcast that he co hosts, Gerald
Borgay joining us here on the A Team in Houston. Jerald,
I spent a little time with some people in Phoenix
over the last two weeks and conversations about these possibilities
from a media standpoint, and I think we're all kind
(00:41):
of circling the wagons on what possibly tips the scale
one way or the other. But being there in Phoenix,
since we had a discussion about it earlier, what were
the vibes of Kevin Durant, the player leader of the Suns,
during the time that he's been there all through this
obviously not very fun time of not winning a lot
of basketball games.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah, I mean it's tough to explain because, on the
one hand, individually as a player, he is still an
all NBA caliber player. You know, the only reason he
wasn't an All NBA selection this year was because he
didn't meet the threshold for games the season before. He
played in seventy five, and he was one of the
top ten players in the league still and defensively, he's
been their best player over the last two years in
(01:21):
addition to being you know, one A on the offensive
end efficient as ever, handle is great and still get
to his spots like he's he's still Kevin Durant. But
at the same time, you look at the results for
the Suns over these last two years, not a single
playoff win. They missed the playoffs the play in entirely
this year, so it's kind of hard to figure out
(01:43):
his value. On top of the fact that he's turning
thirty seven in a few months. So I understand why teams,
especially the teams that can trade for Kevin Durant that
are maybe a little bit younger, have been hesitant to
put their best offers forward because trading for a player
like Kevin Durant, obviously he can help you win, especially
if you have the infrastructure to make that trade and
not be crippled by what you have left. But it's
(02:07):
hard to put your best foot forward when you could
just stay patient and run it back with your young
guys and see if they take the next step next year.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I think the most fascinating part of this whole scenario
between you know, Houston and Phoenix and all that is
what I want to ask you next. It's not necessarily
questions I have about Kevin Durant or the fact that
he's thirty seven or any of that. What is Phoenix
right now? What is their front office? You know, they've
the head coaches knew, there's been all sorts of turnover,
(02:37):
and then Devin Booker's in the middle of all. This
just kind of give us an idea of what it's
like behind the scenes for the Suns organization right now
while they at the same time happen to be going
through making this kind of pivotal decision.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, this is very much a time of change. Obviously,
the new GM, the new head coach, Matt Ashbia is
still here and he's still very active. And I reported
on this a few weeks ago. There was a letter
that he sent internally to Sons basketball ops saying that
he was going to be more involved instead of you know,
he said he tried to do things the conventional way
(03:11):
by hiring a championship caliber head coach, maybe not necessarily
someone that he personally wanted. And he said he's going
to be extremely active and involved. He's going to you know,
be in alignment with his GM Brian Gregory. That was
the buzzword of Gregory's intro presser. And Gregory obviously has
ties to Ishbia as an assistant coach at Michigan State,
(03:33):
so there is a lot of concern that this was
kind of you know, an epticism higher or getting a
guy in the door who would be a yes man
for Ishbia. And we're gonna have to see how Gregory
does on the job because he's only got one or
two years of front office and experience. Most of his
time around basketball has been as a head coach and
not a front office exec. So there's a lot of
change going on. Devin Booker is on board. He was
(03:55):
on board with the hiring. He was part of the
interview process there and was kind of the guy that
he signed off on. So he's very much involved in
the personnel decisions that are going to be made moving forward.
But at the same time, it's going to be interesting
to see. Okay, you have a new head coach who
has to say, you have a GM who has to say,
you have an owner who's very active and involved. What
(04:15):
happens when you guys aren't aligned to use to have buzzword.
What happens when you have differing opinions on certain prospects
or players or trades. So it's very much up in
the air in terms of what to expect from this
front office moving forward, because it's been pretty revamped compared
to even just a few months ago.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Gerald Borgae of Phoenix Sports joining us here on the
A team on Sports Talk seven to ninety Ishbia has said,
you know, and I believe it's been reported from other
parts of the organization that they need to do what's
best for the organization while we continue to understand their
quote unquote working with Rich Climban and Kevin Durant on
trying to find a home. But there's two different avenues
(04:54):
to take in the return. The discussions it appear about
a return from say Minnesota, would be more about landing
p players that will turn the current Phoenix team into
a much more competitive one, say Rudy Gobert and or
Julius Randall versus San Antonio or Houston trade which brings
in more young assets and potentially draft assets. Where do
you think this really sits inside the building with what
(05:16):
they actually want.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, I think they know that they're not going to
like last year. They entered the season with you know,
title or bust expectations, and obviously that was a bust.
I think expectations heading into this season are going to
be more tempered. They know that with Kevin Durant trade,
they're going to be taking a step backward so that
they can take steps forward in the future. And they're
kind of backed into this position by a you know,
(05:39):
dangling Kevin Durant at the trade deadline and be not
being able to get out of Badly Bill's contract. Something's
got to give and it's Kevin Durant. So I think
expectations are going to be a lot lower than last year.
But I do think that they're probably not wanting to
surrender Kevin Durant for some package of just young players
(06:00):
and you know, a bunch of draft picks. Like they
value their pick from Houston, that number ten pick this
year because it's a top ten pick. I think they
value that pick a lot more than the other two
first rounders that Houston owns from Phoenix, because in their mind,
you know, they think we're going to be competitive by then.
Those picks aren't going to have as much value by
twenty twenty seven and twenty twenty nine. So I think,
(06:23):
you know, if you're trading Kevin Durant, you probably want
some combination of starting caliber players, maybe a young prospect
that can develop into something, and a draft pick or two.
That would be the ideal return. But we know that
the Suns may not have all that leverage right now,
and we know that deals with Houston San Antonio, which
are two of the three places that Kevin Durant wants
to go, you know, the return would primarily revolve around
(06:46):
young players, although in Houston's case, I think the young
players are a little bit more established, and so I
think that would appeal to the Suns. It kind of
feels like each deal that they've been talking about, there's
like one or two pieces that they are waiting for
the other team to relent and give up in order
for that deal to go through, and the other teams,
understandably are maybe not ready to offer that up just yet.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Are you somewhat surprised that Devin Booker wants to stay put,
especially in light of what you said about you know,
they're gonna they're probably not going to be as good
next year, and it's going to be a little bit
of a building process. I mean, this was a guy
who went to the NBA Finals led the Suns there
a few years back. Are you surprised he's not kind
of more of today's NBA player where he kind of
(07:32):
wants to get out the door as well and doesn't
want to stay around for the dirty work.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
I think at some point something has to give on
that front, But as of right now, I'm not surprised.
I think he's been given kind of the keys to
the kingdom here in Phoenix. He is beloved throughout Arizona.
He's kind of the face of Arizona sports out here,
and he knows that like this team with the right
pieces around him, can't compete. He was the best player
(07:55):
on a team that went to the finals. He was
the best player on a sixty four win team set
a franchise record for most wins in franchise history. So
he knows that it can happen here, and I think
his thing all along is you know, he's looked up
to guys like Kobe and Dirk and Tim Duncan who
stayed their entire careers in one place. I think he
(08:16):
told ESPN a few months back, you know, the grass
isn't always greener somewhere else. I think he probably looks
at a guy like Damian Lillard that he's friendly with
and sees how that has developed since Dame left Portland
and understands that. You know, he wants to win a
championship here. He wants to bring the super team to him,
as he said, and he has. He's brought Chris Paul here,
(08:36):
He's brought Kevin Durant here, He's brought Bradley Deal here.
It hasn't worked out, But I don't think that means
he's ready to move on just yet. I think a
few more failed Sons experiments and you know, he's thirty
thirty one and looking around and realizing, okay, maybe I'm
not going to win one here. Then maybe that changes.
But you know, he's due for a contract extension this summer.
He had input on the head coaching search. He's going
(08:58):
to have input on personnel decisions, most likely moving forward.
So I think he understands that he's got a good
situation here and in his mind, if he can bring
a championship to Phoenix, he'll kind of be immortalized as
the greatest player for one of thirty NBA teams. I
think that means a lot to him.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Well, certainly appreciate the inside.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Gerald.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Somewhere down the line, we'll catch back up with you
and see who you think won the multiple locker room
fights that the Sons had this past year per Boovie Cousins,
and we'll get the lowdown on that. But definitely appreciate
you joining us this afternoon and looking forward to a
resolution to where's Kevin Durant playing basketball?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Realk quick before we do, let you go five seconds
or last. Where do you think he ends up?
Speaker 2 (09:35):
I think Houston. I think he does end up Houston.
I think they wind up giving up one of the
pieces that the Suns want and that number ten pick,
and I think it goes to the Rockets. That connection
with Emo Udoka and Royal Ivy does matter. The ad
on Sports Talk seven ninety
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.