Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams details getting emotional when Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges were traded for Kevin Durant

One of the major trade stories in the 2022-23 season has to be Kevin Durant moving from Brooklyn Nets to join the Phoenix Suns at the trade deadline in February. The organization had to give away Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges and it became one of the hardest calls they had to make in a long time.

Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams, who won the 2021-22 Coach of the Year opened up on what he discussed with the front office before making the trade. He detailed how emotional it was for him to lose the likes of Cam and Mikal. However, he wanted to lose them at a cost and the cost was Durant.

“If I was going to lose Cam and Mikal, it better be for Kevin,” Williams said as he processed the news of the trade. “You know what I mean? It’s like you’re crying in one eye and then the other eye is kind of bright.”

He revealed that he was emotional for the first time in his coaching career and that was especially due to the players who had been with him for years. “That’s the only time in my coaching that I’ve cried (after a trade). None of us went back to bed that night. I called Mikal, I called Cam, and they had been up with the players.”

Johnson and Bridges have been with the franchise for some time and the duo played a massive role in helping the Suns reach the NBA Finals in the 2020-21 season.

Currently at the Nets, Bridges and Johnson are running the floor with their exceptional scoring ability. The two forwards are battling it out in the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers. While they may be 3-0 down against the Sixers but they are probably the only positives from this postseason for the Nets.

Their experience of the postseason with the Suns have helped them a lot. Bridges lead the Nets scoring 25.5 points while shooting 54.5%. Johnson has also averaged 23.0 and has done pretty well.

Durant is a special talent in the NBA and most teams would trade for him in quick time. The Suns saw an opportunity to bring him in and they did it immediately. Durant’s arrival instantly turned them into a Championship contender with players like Devon Booker and Chris Paul playing alongside him and a brilliant supporting cast to aid him.

The Suns are facing the Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs first round. The first match was won by the Clippers but it was a close contest. However, the Suns came back in the second clash 123-109.

Monty Williams and his men will hope to close out the round as soon as possible as the franchise explore new ways of incorporating Durant into their plans in this postseason.