Is Kevin Durant's injury the death blow that the Phoenix Suns have been waiting for?
All season long, the Phoenix Suns have been one of the most frustrating teams in the league. On paper, the Suns should have enough talent to compete with any team in the Western Conference. However, on the floor, the proof has simply not backed that claim up. Instead, the argument could be made that the Suns have been the most disappointing team in the league this season.
With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Suns currently find themselves 1.5 games back of the 10th seed in the Western Conference. With the regular-season clock quickly running out, you can't help but wonder if a recent injury to Kevin Durant could end up being the ultimate blow to the Suns' postseason hopes.
KD left the team's recent loss to the Houston Rockets in the third quarter after spraining his ankle. He's expected to get a full examination and an MRI on Monday. At least at the start of the team's upcoming three-game road trip, KD is not going to be with the team. That could change depending on what the MRI shows, but there's at least an outside chance that KD may have played his last game in a Phoenix uniform.
The Kevin Durant trade whispers
Since the fallout of the NBA Trade Deadline, in which the Suns failed to significantly upgrade their roster, there have been loud whispers about the possibility of a potential KD trade. At least from an outside perspective, it doesn't appear as if anything has changed between then and now to alter those possibilities.
But with still one year remaining on his contract with the Suns, KD doesn't have much of an option other than to wait out what the process is once the season ends. Even though all signs do point toward a possible trade of KD, I also wouldn't say it's a certainty heading into the summer.
The Suns do have to finish out this season. If they must do it without KD, it's hard to imagine Phoenix making a push strong enough to make the postseason, much less winning their way through the Play-In Tournament to qualify for the NBA Playoffs. The odds are certainly stacked against the Suns with just seven regular-season games remaining.
Assuming this season does end in disappointment, with or without a postseason appearance, it's clear that some big changes may be on the horizon for the team. The reality may finally be setting in after another setback to end the season.