Suns HC Monty Williams reveals he was sad and cried when team landed Kevin Durant in BLOCKBUSTER trade

Suns HC Monty Williams reveals he was sad and cried when team landed Kevin Durant in BLOCKBUSTER trade

Kevin Durant(left) dapping the then Head Coach, Monty Williams(right)/ Getty Images

NBA superstar Kevin Durant was part of a huge trade that shook the landscape of the league. After three-and-a-half controversial years with the Brooklyn Nets, Durant requested a trade to the Phoenix, which the team granted.

The Suns already had a strong core of Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton, and Chris Paul and made it to the NBA Finals in 2021. The addition of a two-time Finals MVP and a top 3 talent seemed like heaven for the Suns’ fans. However, not everyone in the Phoenix building was as overjoyed. The cost of landing Durant was unsurprisingly steep (though some argue that the Nets could have gotten more). The trade led to the departure of the franchise’s two key contributors, which saddened a few, especially head coach Monty Williams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPymIz_Ltcg&ab_channel=ChazNBA

As part of the Durant trade, the Suns parted ways with Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges, a.k.a the ‘Twins.’ Phoenix nurtured the duo and helped them grow into stars and when they had to send them to Brooklyn to land Durant, Coach Williams was taken aback. He had a strong bond with these two young stars and to watch them leave wasn’t a comfortable experience for the head coach. “That’s the only time in my coaching that I’ve cried” (after a trade), said Williams.

FS Video

Bridges was amid an ascent when he was traded. From being a key player for the Suns, he has now established himself as the face of the Nets. Johnson and Bridges are best friends on the team and spent plenty of time together. Watching them do well in Brooklyn is undoubtedly a bittersweet feeling for Coach Williams.

Related:

Was the Kevin Durant trade a win for the Suns?

The Nets are down 0-3 against the Sixers. While this trade was more of a long-term decision for Brooklyn, the Suns are in win-now mode. The Clippers and the Suns are in a competitive series, which Phoenix is currently leading 2-1. Only time will tell whether this trade was a win for the Suns. With Devin Booker and Durant in the lineup, backed by DeAndre Ayton’s rim protection, the Suns seem to be a strong team out of the West.

Durant and Paul are in their mid-30s. The Suns’ window to win a title with the two veterans is short. If they fail to get their hands on the Larry O’Brien trophy with their current core, the franchise will look at the deal as a failure.

In case you missed it: