The trade deadline is now officially less than 24 hours away – and rumors continue to fly. Whether it is that Jusuf Nurkic is on the precipice of being traded, or Bradley Beal is expected to stay with the franchise through the remainder of the season – and everything in between, the Suns have been the epicenter of the NBA world over the last week.

ESPN insider Brian Windhorst added to the continuously heaping pile of rumors with a tidbit surrounding the status of Kevin Durant after both Shams Charania and John Gambadoro declared the Golden State Warriors’ pursuit of the 15-time All-Star as all but over.

Durant has all but affirmed his desire to remain with Phoenix for the remainder of his career, but it could be an enticing conversation to have with Miami if they would be willing to attach promising prospects such as Nikola Jovic and Kel’el Ware to a potential deal that also involves Jimmy Butler.

While Durant would undoubtedly be the best player involved in a trade, the Suns have been severely limited by the newly installed second apron – and the inability to move Beal at the moment could prove costly when it comes to the franchise’s roster building moving into the future.

The Heat were notably reported to be Durant’s second preference when it came to a new destination after he requested a trade out of Brooklyn in June 2022 – now the franchise could have a chance to finally make that pairing a reality, although it still feels unlikely.

Ultimately, it feels like Durant and Booker are committed to the Valley for the long haul – with the front office making moves around the margins this deadline with the intention of revisiting a “home-run” trade in the summer – the next 22 hours will reveal much regardless of the ultimate end result.

As for the on-court product, the Suns are set to face the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight in a game that Durant is not expected to play due to an ankle injury suffered late in Monday night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.