“The stakes are high,” said Shams Charania amid the Phoenix Suns’ worrying season. Entering the season as the most expensive roster, the Valley side didn’t have anything in their favor. At this point, it’s doubtful whether they’d make it to Play-in. Last night, Kevin Durant & Co. took on the Minnesota Timberwolves and exited the court with yet another embarrassing defeat. Slim Reaper, whose future with the Suns hangs on a thin thread, vented out his frustration after the game.

In the opening half, at least in the first quarter, the Suns looked like they were on a roll, finishing with a lead. However, after the break, they completely lost the plot. Julius Randle, who joined the team after a month-long break, supported Anthony Edwards‘ cause to chip away with a blowout 98-116 win.

The Suns, on the other end, distanced themselves from the 10th seed. In fact, they are one loss away from taking the 12th seed. Kevin Durant, the 2x NBA Champ, has indeed reached an unfamiliar spot. He was utterly devastated when the reporter inquired about the standing and said, “I ain’t looking at the standings… Focused on the next day, next game, next practice. Looking at the standings ain’t gonna do nothing for us.”

Moreover, speaking to the press, KD shunned expressing his emotions about the embarrassing loss. But he could hold on only to a point and then spilled it, saying, “It’s tough, man. That’s a shitty game. We didn’t play up to our standards at all. We embarrassed the fans, we embarrassed ourselves the way we played, and I want us to be better.” 

The Suns have 21 games left in the regular season. They are in dire need of a surge to at least make it to the Play in.

Amid this disappointing juncture, Durant has an escape plan waiting for him. The superstar, who turned down trade offers during the deadline, might move to a different franchise this summer. Remember? Charania’s words “Stakes are high”, KD could blow up the off-season.

Will Kevin Durant pull the plug this off-season?

When Kevin Durant moved to the Suns and paired up with Devin Booker, it sparked a championship conversation. The team did perform like that, reaching the playoffs in the first two seasons. However, this season, the story isn’t the same. Something is missing in the plot. The front office did everything possible, from changing head coaches to mixing rosters. Looks like the superstar has to chase his third ring from a different franchise.

Maybe that’s the only way out. Shams Charania, the NBA Insider, sparked the KD off-season trade timebomb last night. The ESPN reporter said, “Unless there’s a significant run here into the playoffs… the league sources believe that there will be real changes in Phoenix.” The real change is no one but the Slim Reaper, and looking at the state of the team, the Suns could hardly make it to the playoffs. 

Charania didn’t stop at that. He added, “The Suns and Durant would work together on any potential trade to a contender.” Moreover, he also predicted there are “Four-six contending teams with serious involvement” to trade the big man.

The Mavericks or the Warriors might hustle their chances to rope in the lethal forward. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.