Will the Phoenix Suns or Dallas Mavericks take big steps forward?
At least on paper, the two biggest moves at the NBA Trade Deadline (by far) were the moves made by the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks. The Suns acquired Kevin Durant and the Mavs acquired Kyrie Irving, both from the Brooklyn Nets. After huge moves at the trade deadline, you’d have to imagine that there are some big expectations that both teams will need to live up to over the final stretch of the season, leading into the playoffs.
While both teams don’t have much time to gel, I don’t think there will be much patience for excuses this offseason. The Mavericks, more so, have much more to figure out. If the Kyrie experiment works, they’ll likely re-sign him during the offseason. But if there’s any doubt about Kyrie’s fit, it will make for a confusing offseason for the team.
The Suns have a bit more wiggle room and probably landed the better player. The big question for Phoenix is whether or not they have enough depth to make a deep run in the playoffs this season. If they can remain healthy, we know they’ll have the top talent to do so.