I first started with the Mavs trade: Julius Randle and the 17th pick for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. The Mavs have a logjam at the forward/center spot, and Julius fits well next to either AD or Lively at the 5. He’s also coming home, having grown up in the Dallas area. Reports indicate Dallas wants another pick in the draft, so they get a solid mid-first-round selection with some potential upside. Gafford and P.J. are both on expiring deals, which I think slightly devalues them in terms of asset return. That said, I think the Wolves would easily want to extend both.

After the Mavs trade, there's some overlap between Gobert and Gafford, and now a glaring hole in the secondary scorer/ball-handler department to support Ant. So, I started to consider which teams would realistically want Gobert. The Suns have shown interest in the package the Wolves are offering for KD, but KD reportedly prefers the Spurs.

This is where it gets... complicated.

The Spurs drafted Castle last year—a point guard and the reigning Rookie of the Year—who fits Wemby’s timeline perfectly. They also hold the #2 pick, likely to be Dillon Harper, another guard that complements Wemby’s window. Now, I know it sounds counterintuitive to bring in Durant while focusing on long-term timelines, but hear me out. The PF position in San Antonio is currently lacking, and Durant would be a seamless fit next to Wemby.

Also, Durant’s two-year extension matches up perfectly with the timing of Castle and Wemby’s eventual max extensions. This avoids long-term overlap—unlike a potential De'Aaron Fox acquisition, which would require a lengthier extension. By keeping their picks in this draft and maintaining a deep war chest of future assets, the Spurs don’t have to sacrifice much of their long-term outlook to bring in Durant and Conley as veterans and gain valuable playoff experience.

Now the Suns… man, I feel bad for them. But this is about closing the chapter on the Durant saga. They bring in Gobert to be their starting center, who I believe fits well next to a guy like Booker. Gobert acts as a floor-raiser—he may no longer provide a Top-10 defense single-handedly, but he should significantly help on that end. They also get Keldon Johnson—a young, versatile wing on a team-friendly, short-term deal—who fits nicely next to Booker, Beal, Allen, Royce, and Rudy. Add in two second-round picks, which won’t be major cap hits or fully guaranteed in this draft, and the Suns start to pivot responsibly.

After this, the Suns' next best hope is Beal’s eventual contract expiry. Sorry, Suns fans.