Kevin Durant's trade to Phoenix Suns shakes up NBA Twitter

ByBrianna Williams ESPN logo
Thursday, February 9, 2023

Kevin Durant was sent to the Phoenix Suns in anearly-morning deal ahead of the NBA's trade deadline on Thursday, just hours after his former Brooklyn Nets teammateKyrie Irving'sDallas Mavericks debut.

Mikal Bridges,Cameron Johnsonand Jae Crowder were acquired by Brooklyn, along with four first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap, in the trade -- and perhaps Bridges best captured the NBA world's immediate reaction to the deal.

Durant will likely join Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Torrey Craig in the Suns' projected starting lineup after the All-Star break.

Talk about shaking up the Western Conference.

With Durant and Irving out of Brooklyn, this marks the first time a team had two All-Stars on a roster to start a season and then both players changed teams later in the season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Irving scored 24 points in a 110-104 win over the Clippers in his Wednesday night debut with the Mavs.

Players were stunned by how the end of the era played out and cited the fabled script of the NBA at work again.

The next chapter of the duo's relationship will be written on March 5 when the Mavericks and Suns play each other on ABC.

ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this story.

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