In the remaining days of this season’s trade deadline, Kevin Durant unexpectedly emerged as a hot name to monitor across the league.
Following several groundbreaking deals from the Los Angeles Lakers’ acquisition of Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler joining the Golden State Warriors, and De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA world briefly stopped yet again, amid speculation Kevin Durant could leave the Phoenix Suns.
Kevin Durant was tagged in several trade rumors, amid the team’s pursuit of Jimmy Butler.
The Golden State Warriors were linked with a potential reunion with Durant, while the Dallas Mavericks were named as a team dreaming of trading for him following the acquisition of Anthony Davis.
Yet in the end, Durant remained in Phoenix and is set to continue this season, filled with ups and downs in the Valley.
Durant did not hide his frustrations about his recent inclusion in the recent trade speculation.
Yet in a recent interview, Kevin Durant dismissed claims the Suns locker room is ‘toxic’, in response to claims from ESPN.
NBA insider Brian Windhorst believes Durant at least deserves some credit for staying cool and professional, despite have ample reason to turn up the hear.
He told NBA Today: “He kind of did the Suns organization a favor with how he handled this interview session, he could have put them on blast, they were a little disrespectful not letting him know [he could be traded] but he handled it like a pro. Part of the reason he handled it like a pro is he has done it himself,
“The one thing you can say about Durant is he is always going to bring it on the court, I expect him to do that the rest of the season.”
The rest of 2024-25 is highly anticipating for what may unfold between Durant and the Suns.
As of writing, the Suns are residing outside of the Play-In Tournament spots. And after a loss against the Memphis Grizzlies, they are holding a 26-27 record as the Western Conference’s 11th seed.
Should they fail to reach their ultimate goal and underachieve yet again this season, Windhorst expects that both Durant and the Suns will eventually tackle their future in the offseason.
“The only thing [Phoenix] can do to improve this roster is probably trade him. He knows that, the league knows that, there’s been talks, now everybody knows that, and my expectation is they will be revisited in the summer,” Windhorst said.
“And that time, Kevin will get a say in those discussions because he’s only got one year left on his contract.”
And for Danny Green, he believes that Durant should only control what he can control by acknowledging Phoenix’s interests.
“It kind of sucks in a way, being that player being talked about,” Green said.
“Luckily for Kevin Durant, he has been able to dictate where he goes the last 16 years, this is probably the first time ever that he’s on the other end of the spectrum.
“It’s a business, sometimes that happens, he’s going to be great wherever he goes. He’s on a team that’s spending a lot of money.”
