Report: Kevin Durant was not happy with role in Frank Vogel’s offense

Mar 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Phoenix Suns are entering an offseason filled with questions after they were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the playoffs, and one of them will be whether head coach Frank Vogel has Kevin Durant’s endorsement.

Prior to the Suns’ loss to the Timberwolves in Game 4 on Sunday, a report claimed Vogel is not guaranteed to be back with Phoenix for a second season. Shams Charania and Doug Haller of The Athletic reiterated that in a story published Monday that examined what went wrong with the Suns and their Big 3 of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal this season.

According to The Athletic, Durant “never felt comfortable with his role” playing alongside Booker and Beal. Durant reportedly felt he was “relegated to the corner far too often” rather than having more plays designed to maximize his strengths.

Durant remained one of the top scorers in the NBA this season with 27.1 points per game, but he shot 52.3% from the field after hitting 57% of his shots a year ago. The Suns had Chris Paul to help facilitate their offense last season, and neither Beal nor Booker were able to successfully step into that role this year.

Booker said after Sunday’s loss to Minnesota that the biggest issue for the Suns was “the details.”

“Roster-wise, everybody talks about the firepower, but you look around the league: It comes down to the details,” Booker told reporters. “You can’t just go out there and think you’re going to win off talent.”

Suns' Devin Booker after getting swept by Timberwolves: "Roster-wise, everybody talks about the firepower, but you look around the league: It comes down to the details. You can’t just go out there and think you’re going to win off talent."

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 29, 2024

Booker said that he, Durant and Beal all needed to play better, but his comments did not reflect well on Vogel and the Suns’ coaching staff.

Vogel was booed by the home fans during pregame introductions on Sunday. He then had a questionable exchange with Beal midway through the game that may or may not have been intentional.

The Suns fired Monty Williams last season after they lost to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs. They then hired Vogel and acquired Beal in a blockbuster trade. The moves did not pay off, and the results were worse this year. That could ultimately cost Vogel his job, especially if Durant is in favor of a change.