Bradley Beal’s trade to the Phoenix Suns isn’t the first time that Kevin Durant has joined forces with other superstars — and his opponents are taking notice.
Following Sunday’s news that the Suns would acquire three-time All-Star Beal from the Washington Wizards to pair with Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix, a Western Conference rival called out similarities between the new trio and a separate superteam once led by Durant.
“Brooklyn situation all over again,” Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic tweeted.
Nurkic is referencing Durant’s previous superteam configuration of Kyrie Irving and James Harden with the Brooklyn Nets, a famed experiment that ended in utter disaster.
(From left) Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving as members of the Brooklyn Nets in May 2021.NBAE via Getty Images
Jusuf Nurkic of the Portland Trail Blazers in February 2022.NBAE via Getty Images
Brooklyn only won one playoff series with Durant on its roster: a first-round win over the Boston Celtics in 2021.
Durant, Irving, and Harden were all later traded amid their inability to stay healthy and incessant off-court drama.
Durant, who landed in Phoenix in February, will now be paired with two All-Star guards in Booker and Beal to form what will likely be a potent offense.
Kevin Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns in February 2023.NBAE via Getty Images
The Beal trade, which has yet to be officially finalized, is the latest chapter in what’s been a dramatic career for Durant, 34.
Prior to arriving in Brooklyn in 2019, the former league MVP was a member of the Golden State Warriors for three seasons, playing alongside superstars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
The group won two NBA championships together in 2017 and 2018.
Durant and the Suns missed the opportunity to win an NBA title this season after a second-round playoff ouster to the now-champion Nuggets.
The Phoenix Suns are acquiring Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards in a June 2023 trade.NBAE via Getty Images
In their acquisition of Beal, who averaged 22 points per game over his career, the Suns will reportedly send 12-time All-Star guard Chris Paul, role-playing guard Landry Shamet, and a package of second-round picks and pick swaps to the Wizards.
Much like Durant, though, Beal has struggled to stay healthy over the last four seasons.
The last season in which both Durant and Beal played over 70 games was the 2018-19 campaign.
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