Suns HC Monty Williams Was 'Blown Away' by Kevin Durant Trade Rumors

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams didn't get ahead of himself when the team was linked with Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.

Williams said Friday on SiriusXM NBA Radio he was "kind of blown away" by the Durant rumors and wondered the price the Suns would have to pay for the 12-time All-Star.

When reporting on June 30 that Durant was angling for an exit from Brooklyn, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski listed the Suns as one of his preferred landing spots.

Phoenix is a genuine contender, thus providing the motivation to pursue such a massive trade. In Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton, the franchise had the assets to theoretically pull off the deal, too.

But many figured the Suns were out of the running when they matched Ayton's four-year, $133 million offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers. Booker could've still been included, but that idea never seemed to gain much traction.

As it turns out, Durant won't be leaving the Nets at all—at least in the short term.

The downside of pursuing a trade for a marquee star is that you could alienate your own players when the move falls through. That seemed to be the case for the Los Angeles Lakers when they couldn't land Anthony Davis before the 2019 trade deadline.

But to the extent the rumors this summer may have irked any members of the Suns, Williams' approach probably helped to avoid any unnecessary drama.