All Eyes on Former Suns Star Kevin Durant Ahead of New Season

The Athletic's Sam Amick with more:

"As our David Aldridge chronicled in his offseason rankings, the Kevin Durant trade alone was enough to put them at the top of the list. But not only did they add one of the greatest scorers of all time, they landed one of the most coveted free agents on the market in Dorian Finney-Smith (while delivering a blow to the Los Angeles Lakers in the process).

"... More specifically, I’m really curious to see how Durant handles this challenge from a chemistry standpoint. If he leans too far into his superpowers, that might take away from players like Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson (and several others) who need to keep growing. There will be some (added) pressure on Ime Udoka, as the coaching staff needs to make the most of all this talent in a collaborative kind of way. In that regard, this is a much different situation than the one Durant entered in 2016 when he joined the Warriors team that already had one title under its belt."

Amick is completely correct - as that Warriors squad was already an established team without Durant - his presence just simply made them a force that was nearly unstoppable. Houston, on the contrary, has major promise but also must prove themselves.

Amick concluded with, "But Durant was an absolute monster back then, one who found a way to add greatly to what the Warriors had while still empowering those around him. What’s more, he was at his defensive best when surrounded by an already elite defense. Sound familiar? Even with Durant being older now, the combination of this Rockets defense (fifth in the league last season) and an offensive upgrade like Durant means the Rockets are going to be a problem for all comers."

The Suns likely won't be a playoff team in 2025-26, so fans in the Valley may find themselves at home watching Durant and Houston play deep into the summer.