Kevin Durant was not traded leading up to Thursday’s deadline despite finding his name at the center of various rumors, but it sounds like he is unhappy with the way the Phoenix Suns shopped him around.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recapped the trade deadline during the latest episode of his “The Hoop Collective” podcast, which was released on Friday. According to the reporter, Durant was not pleased that the Suns included him in trade talks. Windhorst believes the way the team handled the situation may ultimately result in Durant wanting out of Phoenix this summer.
“He was not happy he was put into trade talks,” Windhorst said, as transcribed by RealGM. “I think it’s unpredictable what will happen for the next few months because it’s the nature of the sport, but I think right now it is reasonable to forecast that Durant will be breaking up with the Suns in the summer. He didn’t break up with them today, but it doesn’t look for the long-term forecast because he was really frustrated.
“I spent a long time today on the phone with people involved with this situation. People from Miami. People from Golden State. People from Phoenix. Other people. I would just say that the biggest thing Kevin Durant was upset about, I think, not knowing he was involved in trade talks.”
Durant does not have a no-trade clause in his contract. Because of that, the Suns were under no obligation to work with him on any potential trades or keep him in the loop. They did seem to give him some say, however, as Windhorst reported on Thursday that Durant nixed a blockbuster trade that would have sent him back to one of his former teams.
ESPN’s Shams Charania said Thursday that Durant was “blindsided” by the Suns shopping him to other teams.
Durant is signed through next season with a $54.7 million salary. He has averaged 26.9 points per game this year and is still playing at an elite level, but he will turn 37 before the start of the 2025-26 season. Trading him might be more complicated than it seems given his age, injury history and contract situation.
The Suns have hovered around .500 this season and are not a lock to make the playoffs. Their Big Three of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal has not produced the type of returns the team had hoped it would. With Durant now disgruntled, a rebuild could be coming sooner rather than later.
