Even the mighty Kevin Durant could do nothing to save the Suns from the wrath of the Cavaliers. Well, the Phoenix franchise headed into tonight’s clash hoping to carry the momentum from their back-to-back wins. And they initially did a decent job, finishing the opening quarter with a tied score. But they got outsmarted by Kenny Atkinson’s genius, as he switched to zone in the second quarter, leading to a blowout! KD was impressed with the Cavs’ quick thinking and made a shocking admission, exposing his team’s major issue, amid an apparent Jimmy Butler pursuit.

Revealing where the Suns went wrong in combating the zone defense, Durant said postgame, “Yeah, just can’t pass around in perimeter. That’s what they want us to do. We still gotta try to break the paint… It’s tough defense to score on if you just thinking the shot is gonna come open for you without you pressing the issue. I think we could have drove in a little bit more.” Well, their offense might’ve been too passive tonight, as no player other than KD scored more than 15 points! Even he finished in his low twenties.

Moreover, their disappointing performance led to Durantula making a shocking admission, “We don’t play zone every game. We don’t have a zone package yet.” Yes, ‘zone’ is not something many teams prepare for in the modern NBA. But KD also pointed out that every great team needs to be good at making adjustments on the fly, which the Suns were unable to do tonight.

Maybe, this was a subtle message for the front office to ramp up the Butler pursuit and potentially get rid of this weakness. Of course, there’ve been speculations that the Slim Reaper wants to join forces with Jimmy, who was his teammate during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Adding JB could make the Phoenix side a far better defensive team because he is a lockdown defender with proven playoff experience. And Mat Ishbia might have found a way to get his hands on the Heat star.

Suns could work around Pat Riley’s ‘disinterest’ in Bradley Beal to acquire Jimmy Butler, while Kevin Durant prepares for Nets clash

While Butler refused to comment about his future in Miami following his return from suspension, it is evident that he still wants to get traded. Wondering how? Just look at his demeanor. And latest reports suggest that the veteran would rather be a third option to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker than Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Even the Suns want him on their roster! But there is one problem. Pat Riley and Co. want nothing to do with Bradley Beal and his massive contract that also includes a no-trade clause.

However, there might be a way for the Suns to make the deal happen. Well, they would have to make it a multi-team trade so that Beal goes somewhere else, and the Heat gets a different All-Star caliber player or future assets in return, with Jimmy Butler coming to Phoenix. Obviously, this opens up a few options of either involving rebuilding teams like Charlotte and Brooklyn or hopeful title contenders like Lakers and Warriors. In either case, this could be the Suns’ final desperate attempt at reuniting KD and Butler.

Meanwhile, The Slim Reaper is focused on getting over tonight’s loss and ending the road trip with a win against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. “Yeah, that’ll be the most important thing. Looking forward to playing them again. We lost to them the first time playing them. So, want us to get a W and end the road trip off right.”

How far do you think the Suns make it this season? Let us know in the comments below.