Charles Barkley on Kevin Durant: He’s been an abject failure

Charles Barkley: “He seems like a miserable person, man. I call him Mr. Miserable, he’s never going to be happy. Everybody’s given him everything on a silver platter. He was the man in Oklahoma City, they loved him, he owned the entire state. He bolts on them and wins back-to-back championships (with Golden State), and he’s still not happy. Then he goes to Brooklyn, they give him everything he wants and he’s still miserable.” -via Arizona’s Sports Page / August 25, 2022

Donovan Mitchell hasn’t asked for a trade from the Jazz, according to sources. But, if he were to be traded, sources say, his preferred destination would be one of three places: the Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets, or the Miami Heat. Mitchell can’t be traded to the Nets as long as Ben Simmons is on the roster, which makes that destination unlikely, and now even more unlikely with Kevin Durant staying put. The Heat simply don’t have the assets that the Jazz are looking for, which makes that destination unlikely. The Knicks have the assets that the Jazz seek, which has made them a natural potential trade partner. -via The Athletic / August 25, 2022

This isn’t necessarily over, of course; we’ve seen too many Dwightmares rekindle from embers to declare this fire extinguished. But for the purposes of the 2022 offseason, the biggest domino just fell. There will be no Durant trade, at least until Deandre Ayton is trade-eligible in January (ducks). -via The Athletic / August 25, 2022

The field of sports marketing is not without its challenges, so when folks in that business are presented with a layup, they better take it. That’s what the Phoenix Suns are doing by bringing back the sunburst uniforms first worn by the 1992-93 team, which lost to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals. It’s the 30-year anniversary of that season, and one way the Suns are celebrating is by going retro in a fashion sense. Wearing your clothes from the ’90s isn’t a good look for most of us, but Suns jerseys from that era are different. Over the years, market research has indicated the jerseys worn in the Charles Barkley era are the most popular among fans, especially the purple one. “The easiest thing in sports is to give the fans what they want,” said Graham Wincott, the Suns’ senior director of marketing. -via USA Today Sports / August 24, 2022

The uniform, Barkley and America West Arena made their basketball debut in Phoenix on Nov. 7, 1992. The Suns beat the Clippers by six points, with Barkley finishing with 37 points and 21 rebounds. His teammates didn’t do much to help him. “Our best play was to keep throwing up bricks and let Charles go get them,” Dan Majerle said. “He really did a great job.” -via USA Today Sports / August 24, 2022