In the spirit of Sam Presti turning the Rashard Lewis trade exception into Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, let’s zoom out. This past Thursday marked the four-year anniversary of Kevin Durant’s toe-on-the-line 2 at Barclays Center. That shot, in Game 7 of the Brooklyn Nets’ second-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, exemplifies the razor-thin margin between winning and losing in recent NBA history.

Durant, at 32, was seen as the best player on the planet, scoring 48 points in 53 minutes during that game, just days after a 49-point, 17-rebound, 10-assist masterclass.

The Phoenix Suns were on the path to the NBA Finals, led by Chris Paul and Devin Booker, while the Houston Rockets, after trading James Harden to the Nets, began their rebuilding phase. A month post-Brooklyn’s playoff exit, Phoenix faced the same fate.

Fast forward to Sunday, which revealed the incredible shift in power in the NBA, depicted by Durant’s recent blockbuster trade. The dynamics between the Rockets and Suns have essentially flipped.

For Houston, the Durant acquisition mirrors Phoenix’s prior success with Paul, consolidating their recent trajectory. Conversely, this trade indicates a critical challenge for the Suns, signaling a need for substantial change after unsuccessful post-2021 Finals moves.