Mock Trade: Suns Swap Kevin Durant for Top Pick, Star

The Phoenix Suns may have to choose from several offers for where they could trade Kevin Durant this offseason.

Monday night's lottery made things a lot more interesting with three likely playoff teams next season in the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers getting the top-3 picks.

Dallas and San Antonio had already been linked to Durant prior to the lottery, and now could be even more in play for him.

CBS Sports' Sam Quinn thinks the 76ers could also strike a deal for Durant.

Here is the interesting trade Quinn proposed between Philadelphia and Phoenix and his explanation:

• Suns get: Paul George, 2025 No. 3 overall pick

• 76ers get: Kevin Durant

"The 76ers could really go in any direction. They're the rare top-three team that could justify a trade down. While Flagg and Harper are the obvious top two picks, it's a bit of a crapshoot starting at No. 3. If they don't love anyone at that spot and someone else does, it never hurts to collect a few extra assets, and the 76ers probably need to shed a bit of salary given how expensive it could be to re-sign Quentin Grimes, so using such a trade as a dumping ground could make sense as well.

"But come on, this is Daryl Morey. Nobody hunts stars like Daryl Morey, and this pick is one of the most powerful tools he's ever had to do it with. So here, he takes one last swing on the Joel Embiid era and escapes the last three years of George's contract by going after Durant. Given his age at 37, it's unlikely anyone is willing to offer something more valuable. Under normal circumstances, it would never make sense to trade a pick like this for such an old player. If any part of this front office thinks Embiid can be an MVP candidate again, Durant makes Philadelphia one of the favorites in the East.

"Still, don't count this one as especially likely. Morey himself told reporters that the plan is to keep the pick. Given the enormous medical risk Embiid poses, that's probably the right call. This pick is a chance to grab Tyrese Maxey a long-term running mate, and with Grimes and Jared McCain in place as well, the 76ers could develop a pretty interesting young core independent of Embiid. If a younger star becomes available, of course the 76ers would explore it, but in all likelihood, the 76ers are taking a youngster."

This is certainly a very unique trade that deviates from a lot of hypothetical packages for Durant that would center around a few good role players and multiple draft picks.

Phoenix likely does not want to take on another big contract like George's, but getting a good young player at No. 3, likely Ace Bailey, would be intriguing.

Whatever the Suns decide to do with Durant could end up being an unexpected move or package back, so it is interesting to look at all the different avenues Phoenix could have to decide from.