NBA Rumors: Suns Tried to Keep Mikal Bridges in Kevin Durant Trade with Nets

If the Phoenix Suns had their way, Mikal Bridges would not have been part of the blockbuster trade that landed them Kevin Durant.

On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 34:40 mark), ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted the Suns were "trying to figure out a way" to do the deal without including Bridges.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski previously reported new Suns governor Mat Ishbia initially hoped to keep Bridges out of the trade, but that was considered a "nonstarter" for the Brooklyn Nets.

The final deal turned out to be a four-team trade with the Suns getting Durant and T.J. Warren; the Nets received Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Juan Pablo Vaulet, four first-round picks plus a pick swap from the Suns and two second-round picks from the Milwaukee Bucks; the Bucks got Jae Crowder; the Indiana Pacers got George Hill, Serge Ibaka, Jordan Nwora, three second-round picks from the Bucks and cash considerations from Brooklyn.

It's not hard to figure out why the Suns would have wanted to keep Bridges. He's a 26-year-old wing who can score, plays defense and is signed to a team-friendly contract that runs through the 2025-26 season.

Bridges was averaging a career-high 17.6 points per game and shooting 39.6 percent from three-point range in 56 starts for the Suns before the trade.

The Suns have also been hampered by injuries this season. Devin Booker has missed 27 games. Chris Paul has sat out 21 games already. Durant has yet to suit up for them and hasn't appeared in any game since Jan. 8 due to a sprained MCL.

Bridges would have given them some insurance, especially in a potential playoff series, if at least one of their key players is unavailable.

Ultimately, though, adding a player of Durant's caliber raises the Suns' ceiling as they chase a championship. He's also under contract for three additional seasons after the 2022-23 campaign.

Bridges was a big part of Phoenix's rise to prominence in the Western Conference over the past two seasons, but Durant can get the franchise over the top after its losses in the 2021 NBA Finals and 2022 Western Conference semifinals.