Suns appear to be Durant trade frontrunners; In Miami, Durant only wants to play with full roster

On the white-knuckle ride that is the NBA offseason, what looks like a sure thing one day is being ridiculed and thrown overboard the next. Things change fast around the NBA in July.

Nobody knows that better than the Brooklyn Nets, who are now trying to find a new home for disgruntled superstar Kevin Durant.

The Phoenix Suns appear to be the frontrunner to trade for Durant, and there are a few reasons why.

First, Durant wants to go there, and while the Nets can ignore his wishes — Durant is under contract for four more years — things go more smoothly if everyone is happy. Second, there are multiple paths to a trade with Phoenix, most prominently a Deandre Ayton sign-and-trade with Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and three future first-round picks. Of course, considering what the Timberwolves overpaid traded for Rudy Gobert, the price might have gone up.

Most of all, there’s Durant’s relationship with Monty Williams, reports Sam Amick at The Athletic.

But in terms of the personal dynamics, his close relationship with Suns coach Monty Williams may top the list. The two of them were together for one season in Oklahoma City, that 2015-16 campaign when Williams was an associate head coach under Scott Brooks and Durant was in his final Thunder days before heading for Golden State in free agency.

The Suns are the frontrunners, but they are not the only teams in the race.

Durant listed the Heat as the other franchise he wants to play for. The problem is, Durant wants to go there without Miami surrendering any of the guys he wants to play with, which makes the trade next to impossible. Again from Amick.

Durant, it seems, would only want to play on a Heat team that includes Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry. So even if the