Phoenix Suns players talk about summer of Kevin Durant trade rumors

This was one crazy summer for the Suns. Their offseason was overwhelmed with distractions, which put many basketball-related questions on the back-burner during the team's Media Day on Monday.

They included the ongoing fallout from the shocking Game 7 blowout home loss to the Mavericks, majority owner Robert Sarver's decision to sell the franchise after a scathing NBA investigation concluded extensive workplace behavior offenses, Deandre Ayton's max contract situation and power forward Jae Crowder wanting out of town.

One of the biggest was the speculation about Kevin Durant possibly being traded to Phoenix, after the Nets superstar suggested the Suns would be a team he'd like to play for.

Suns coach Monty Williams told the media Monday, "This is the first normal summer that we've had since I've been here."

He referred to his first summer in 2020 with the team in the Orlando bubble amid the pandemic, the second was the team's loss in the 2021 NBA Finals, which extended into late July because of an adjusted NBA schedule and then a two-month offseason.

Williams said he was ''blown away'' by the Durant rumors, speaking in a radio interview this summer.

Many of the Suns players talked about the Durant trade speculation on Monday as well, a day before the team officially opened training camp.

Three of their starters Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, and backup point guard Cameron Payne were each surprised Durant requested a trade to his preferred destinations Phoenix and Miami at the beginning of free agency on June 30.

That would've hypothetically gutted the Suns' current roster, which has nine guaranteed contracts entering this season, as Brooklyn would've expected a hefty return for one of the top players in the NBA.

Paul said so many other distractions have caused him to forget how he initially reacted since Durant pushed his trade request in June.

“I’ve known KD for a long time, one of the best players ever to play this game," Paul said. "So anytime you hear something like that, obviously you’re like, ‘Well, damn!’ But everything happens for a reason. This was said, that was said or whatnot, so we just never know. “

But Bridges, who was the Suns' first player to speak cryptically about the speculation on Twitter on Aug. 22, said the Durant trade rumors will forever stay in his memory and he doesn't want to leave Phoenix. Bridges was among names circulated in the trade speculation.

Bridges understands trades because it happened to him on the night he was drafted by his hometown team Philadelphia 76ers as the 10th overall pick in 2018. He said that trade made him upset, but now loves being in the Valley.

“I’ll never forget about that whole Brooklyn situation this summer,” Bridges said while laughing.

“You know me, I don’t ever want to leave here. This is like a new home and I’m here some much I don’t want to go back home because I just want to stay here. I’m just sitting here and keep on hooping every day and whatever happens happens.”

Payne has been around the world and back as a pro. He's entering the second year of his three-year, $19 million deal, and has signed to five different teams in his seven-year NBA career, plus played in China and G-League.

As names swirled such as his, Bridges, Cam Johnson, Crowder, and Landry Shamet in the Durant trade rumors, Payne didn't want to be bounced out of town again.

“I was kind of shocked," Payne said. "My heart dropped and it’s like my initial feeling was like, ‘Dang. You’re just gonna have to leave all that if it comes.’ And thank the Lord it didn’t happen. …

“I’ve found a home here. I ain’t trying to be up there.”

Suns GM James Jones was the first person to speak at Media Day.

For subscribers: Somers: Suns strike right tone in answering questions about Sarver

During his interview with The Republic earlier this month, Jones said he didn't pay much attention to Durant trade speculation at first because he doesn't like tending to chatter outside his organization. 

However, he's "always in evaluation mode," and the players understand this is a business never personal first beyond the court.

"I’ve talked to our guys constantly about the business of basketball," Jones said. "And you’d be surprised they come to us and talk about the business of basketball. They get it. They understand our goal is to improve the team, and sometimes that requires you to look externally. But they’re so great as far as professionals, and they focus on hooping.

“It’s a privilege for all of us to play this game. But they also understand that if teams are calling for you, that means that you must be doing something right. So it’s also a nod to them that their progress, their work is paying off and people around them are recognizing that they’re really good players.”

Trades can deeply affect players' lives and their loved ones, including Paul.

He explained the psyche of a player being traded to cities where they want to go and undesirable ones against their will, even at short notice.

The 18-year veteran has been traded four times from the New Orleans Hornets,Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Suns in that order.

He told reporters two years ago when he came to the Suns he wanted to play alongside Booker.

Read more: 'That's not the Robert Sarver I know': Booker talks investigation

“I don’t think it’s a woe-is-me situation because I’m sure there’s – well, there’s not I’m sure, I know – there’s guys who’ve been traded more times than I have and been in tougher situations," Paul said.

"In a perspective for me, I think it’s just my family, just being away from them. Obviously, that’s a choice that we make, but playing away from my wife and my kids for the past few years has probably been the toughest part. It’s a lot of guys who get moved during the season and then they go to a particular city and their family stays back. You play in this league long enough, you’re gonna see what a lot of things feel like.”

The biggest positive about the Durant trade speculation is that Phoenix is now an attraction to star players.

“I’m proud, man,” Booker said. "We’ve been at the bottom. I’ve seen that before, and all you want to do is play meaningful basketball. It’s tough when you’re sitting last in the West and there’s 30 games in the season left and you’re wondering what’s going on.

"So we have the foundation. We have the tools. We have the coaching staff, the training staff, and I’m excited about what’s coming forward."

 Read more: Landry Shamet meets father, siblings for first time; solely focused on family, basketball

Have tips for us? Reach the reporter at dana.scott@azcentral.com or at 480-486-4721. Follow his Twitter @iam_DanaScott.

Support local journalism. Start your online subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns players wanted to keep roster amid Kevin Durant rumors