Kevin Durant doesn’t want people to mistake him for a veteran who is close to burning out despite being 36 years old and in Year 18.
Kevin Durant is slowly creeping into LeBron James-esque longevity, averaging 27.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in his age-36 season. Despite spending 18 years in the NBA already, Durant still loves the game more than anything.
The Phoenix Suns forward is still challenging himself to be one of the best players in the NBA. He’s going to be named an NBA All-Star in the next week and has earned the nomination on the basis of his on-court brilliance. The Suns are struggling in the Western Conference with a 22-21 record. Nonetheless, Durant is motivated to help them improve.
Successfully having a long NBA career is a challenge few players make it through. While many struggle to walk away from the game, most struggle to continue putting themselves through the grind of being an NBA player. LeBron James is exemplifying how far discipline and love for the game can take a career.
Kevin Durant isn’t far behind. The 36-year-old who was drafted in 2007 made it clear to Yahoo Sports that his career is far from over. He refuses to be classified as a regular 36-year-old because of the work he puts into his body to keep him at the highest level.
“I ain’t a regular 36-year-old. I condition my mind and my body, to be a pro. So what else am I gonna do? Burn out? How many people playing at this level at my age?
“So you can’t compare me to anybody who’s burnt out. It could happen, but does it look like it right now?”
Kevin Durant doesn’t look tired. He is still motivated to lead a winning franchise provided he has enough supplemental weapons alongside him. He has an elite co-star like Devin Booker on the Suns, but the rest of the roster isn’t perfect.
Kevin Durant is one of the most established players in the NBA. The players entering the NBA grew up studying his moves and emulating them. As a result, they’re also aware of how to counter those moves.
Durant knows that his style of play from 2012 won’t fly in 2025, so he’s adjusted his play style to a more veteran-friendly one which allows him to continue being effective.
“I’m saying they got 16 years of film with me, I’m still playing at that level. It may look different, yeah, I’m not running down the lane, but I’m still making the same shots, still getting to my spots. That’s what you look at. Am I still getting to where I want to get to?”
“Back then, I was trying to play how I’m playing now. Where I’m picking my spots, not rushing.
“But for those teams, I had to score. I had to have more energy. Look at me in the second half tonight, I wasn’t tripping. Back then, I might’ve tripped. Tonight, I’m more relaxed.”
The Suns have been one of the most active teams in the NBA trade market this season. They’ve already made minor moves such as acquiring Nick Richards and trading their sole-remaining first-round pick from 2031 for three picks from the Utah Jazz over the next four years.
These moves are all building up toward the team’s ultimate goal – acquiring Jimmy Butler. The Suns are widely presumed to be Butler’s next landing spot. The team is trying to figure out where to trade Bradley Beal, as a Butler acquisition is impossible without Beal’s contract being off the team.
The Miami Heat don’t want Beal and the $110+ million owed to him over the next three years. Beal’s no-trade clause doesn’t help these matters either. There aren’t many suitors for Beal, so the Suns are scouring the market and looking for potential partners.
There isn’t much left to do outside completing the acquisition of Butler to be the third star around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. If the Butler pursuit fails, the Suns could use their newly acquired draft capital in deals to move Jusuf Nurkic or Grayson Allen to make the most of this topsy-turvy season.
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