Before the Suns’ embarrassing Christmas Day loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Kevin Durant was frustrated with the Phoenix Suns. Durant has responded to that report in an Instagram comment after poor body language and a disappointing performance against the Mavericks.
“Woj says somebody else ‘feels’ that I’m frustrated and it turned into me being mentally checked out. This sh*t crazy, these people can flat-out lie on my name and make sh*t up and you people will believe it. But when my teammates and coaches speak on how I am as a teammate, you ignore it lol.”
Woj’s report was interesting and implied the Suns are sympathetic to Durant’s frustration.
“Let’s start with Kevin Durant. He talked to people around the Phoenix organization. They can feel the frustration with Durant. Part of it is because of the missed game for Bradley Beal. This team was built around those three stars… They lack the assets to go out and improve this team. This is something they have to manage in Phoenix with Kevin Durant. It’s a stark reminder of how short of a window. This team needs to win big and win big quickly. Having Kevin Durant still play at an All-NBA level and be healthy, there’s a lot at stake for this organization.”
Durant scored 16 points on 4-11 shooting last night, looking disengaged for vast chunks of the matchup. The reason for his passivity wasn’t all to do with his body language, as the Mavs defense ensured the Suns were in a position where both the stars were being contained, allowing Grayson Allen to go for 32 points and Chimezie Metu to notch 24 points and 19 rebounds. The team fell to the 11th seed in the West and has a 14-15 record.
Given Durant’s track record of switching teams, nobody is willing to give him much benefit of the doubt. Fans are already sharpening their knives for KD, who has proven through the season that he’s willing to carry the Suns as far as his 35-year-old frame allows him to. He’s averaging 30.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists this season.
Is Kevin Durant Angling For Another Move?
Fans are already running with the speculation that Durant may be thinking about another move after the Phoenix Suns went all-in on winning a title with him. The Suns obliterated one of the best young cores in basketball that went to an NBA Finals to acquire Durant last February, completing the teardown over the summer by acquiring Bradley Beal. The Suns have no assets or flexibility for another move as they’re over the second apron with three max-level players.
Durant has made his desire to play winning basketball abundantly clear. He is not going to tolerate losing for very long, but his role-players showed they can step up in the Christmas loss to Dallas. Allen has quietly been their third-best player, averaging 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while providing perimeter defensive pressure and shooting 45.4% from three.
Everyone else has been extremely inconsistent, with Eric Gordon also being frustrated with his subdued role in the offense. The Suns have many problems affecting them at the moment. KD likely stays for the rest of the season, but it’s hard to definitively say that he will be a Sun by the end of next offseason if they’re a play-in exit or worse, fail to make the playoffs entirely.
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