Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant has yet to make his debut with the Phoenix Suns after a blockbuster trade from the Brooklyn Nets last week. He won’t be suiting up with Phoenix until well after the All-Star Break due to a knee injury he suffered back on January 8.
Even then, Suns fans are already excited that their team has added one of the NBA’s best players. We got a first-hand view of this as Phoenix played host to the conference-rival Sacramento Kings Tuesday night.
Related: Winners and losers from Kevin Durant blockbuster trade
Durant made his debut inside Footprint Center in Phoenix. To say that the fans were excited would be putting it lightly. Just check out the applause he got in the desert.
The energy was surreal for a fan base that’s rooting on a squad that boasts a mere 31-27 record. But it is pretty darn clear things are changing in the desert.
On the very same day Phoenix acquired KD last week, Mat Ishbia officially took over as the Suns’ owner for a disgraced Robert Sarver. As you can tell, Durant was also seemingly pretty excited given that he rarely shows emotion.
- Kevin Durant stats (2022-23): 29.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 5.3 APG, 56% shooting, 38% 3-point
Despite dealing with recent injury issues, the 34-year-old Durant remains one of the NBA’s best players when he’s healthy. The idea for Phoenix is to team him up with Devin Booker and make a run at the Larry O’Brien Trophy moving forward this season.