Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia is already in “Kevin who?” mode.
Ishbia appeared for an interview on ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Wednesday. During the interview, Ishbia was asked about the team’s trade of Kevin Durant earlier this offseason and made some notable remarks.
“Kevin Durant’s a great player, there’s no one that can ever question that,” said Ishbia. “[But he] just wasn’t a fit for what we’re doing going forward.
“Obviously he’s had an amazing career, but he’s not a fit for what we’re gonna do going forward,” Ishbia added.
Here is the full clip of Ishbia’s remarks.
"[Kevin Durant] just wasn't a fit for what we're doing going forward."
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 24, 2025
—@Suns owner Mat Ishbia reflects on trading Kevin Durant to the Rockets pic.twitter.com/1DHpg0l5aq
That is an interesting characterization of the situation by Ishbia. For one, Durant averaged a stout 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last season and would still be a seamless fit on any team in the NBA right now. For another, it seems that Durant was the one who wanted the trade out of Phoenix (with the team even reportedly making moves while Durant was still there in an effort to appease him).
Ishbia, who became Suns owner in 2023, is correct to look ahead and focus instead on some of the talented pieces that the team got from the Houston Rockets in the Durant trade (including Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and others). But for a figure whose ownership tenure has already been criticized for a variety of reasons, Ishbia might have been better off with a more boring, boilerplate response about Durant there.
