Fans in Phoenix are paying a premium to see Kevin Durant’s Suns’ home debut.
Tickets to Wednesday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder are selling for $355.60 on average across multiple ticket exchanges, per data provided to Front Office Sports from ticketing technology and analytics company Logitix.
The jump in price for the contest represents a 226% increase from the $108.99 average price tickets were selling for before the Feb. 9 trade deadline, when Durant was dealt from the Brooklyn Nets to the Suns in a blockbuster trade.
Early February was also when new owner Mat Ishbia took over after paying $2.28 billion for a 57% controlling stake in the team. The Durant deal was made on his first day on the job.
The ensuing hype around Phoenix has shown up in the ticket prices: Tickets to Suns games were selling for $146.68 before Feb. 9 and $181.64 since — a 25% increase.
The Suns have won six of their last eight contests dating back to Feb. 10 and are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference. Durant is averaging 26.7 points per game in three contests in a Suns uniform.