Should Suns Even Trade Kevin Durant?

Kevin Durant's fallout with the Phoenix Suns has turned into a long, drawn out national discussion as the two sides work out a trade ahead of the June 25 NBA Draft.

Phoenix is holding the 36-year-old All-Star to a high standard, but teams aren't willing to reach their asking price. And even in the event of the Suns being offered a decent package for him, like Minnesota and Toronto's reported offers, Durant has no desire to play for the franchise.

Which begs the question -- should Phoenix even trade Durant?

Why Can't The Suns Keep Durant?

The answer to this question is quite simple. No, I don't think the Suns would prefer to trade Durant after an All-NBA level season. In fact, the organization may not have been in the situations it's in right now had it not dangled the former MVP in trade talks at the last minute of February's trade deadline.

When it became evident at the deadline that it would be impossible for Phoenix to move Bradley Beal, Suns leadership inexplicably engaged in discussions with the Golden State Warriors for a potential reunion. Durant denied the trade and opted to ride the season out, but he and his camp were certainly perturbed by the move.

That's not even the main reason Durant can't stay in The Valley, though. In a perfect world, a competitive roster is built around Devin Booker and Durant, two of the league's most elite scorers. But one thing stands in the way of making that possible -- Bradley Beal and two years left on his massive contract.

Beal, who has turned out to be an impossible fit next to the two stars, has two years remaining on his contract, the last one being a player option, which he will almost undoubtedly accept given that it's worth $57.1 million in 2028.

Not only is the 31-year-old's contract unappealing to nearly anyone in the league, to top it all off, he is one of two players in the NBA with a no-trade clause, further increasing the difficulty of trading him.

That's all that stands in the way of the answer to whether or not Phoenix should trade Durant being a no. One player and one massive, untradeable contract that hinders Phoenix's ability to build a competent roster around two of its most talented players in franchise history.

So, yes, the Suns should trade Kevin Durant. But not because they want to. It's because they have to.