The Phoenix Suns had a rough trade season in 2024-25. They did everything they could to rejig their roster by trading Bradley Beal away, but they failed to get anyone to accept his contract. As the team was pursuing Jimmy Butler, Beal’s not being moved led to the Suns fielding offers for Kevin Durant in a shocking move.
Durant has to be upset about the Suns trying to deal him to teams like the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat when he’s made it clear he wants to be a Sun for a long time. As a result, his first media availability after the end of the deadline seemed to show a version of Durant who’s pondering his future.
“I always had a goal of playing my contract out and seeing what happens. I know I can’t focus on a year and a half down the line ahead of me. I know that will be a topic. That’s probably the most frustrating part about being in trade talks is that the microscope is going to be solely on me for the rest of the season.”
Kevin Durant speaks on the following:
On Suns talking with Warriors about him before trade deadline: "Just business, man. It's part of the business. Everybody is bought and sold in this league. Anybody can be up for action. I understand that."
When asked about reports of Suns… pic.twitter.com/vEtKuAMhVc
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 10, 2025
Durant specifically discussed how he felt after being included in trade rumors behind his back, especially in a week where the market seemed extra active after Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers.
“Just business, man. It’s part of the business. Everybody is bought and sold in this league. Anybody can be up for auction. I understand that. It’s about getting back on the court and playing the game that I love. It’s a part of business and we all gotta understand that. I’ve been around noise before… I understand the business, and that’s what I signed up for. Nobody’s above the business, and I always understood that,”
“My body language, how I speak to you guys after the game, how I’m looking on the bench. That stuff will be magnified. Which sucks, but it’s a part of the business I gotta deal with and accept. If I keep the main thing the main thing, if we turn round and play well, people will focus on that.”
It was quite telling that Durant made it clear he didn’t want to discuss his personal relationship with the Suns front office at this time.
“I always keep my relationships under wraps. I don’t think I should be speaking on personal relationships to the public. I don’t think it’s fair to the people involved. I’m here to do my job and the best I can.”
Durant is averaging 26.9 points for the Suns in a very good season. The fact that he was the one on the trade block had to have hurt him because there really haven’t been any on or off-court reasons to move Durant. He’s been a great professional who’s delivered on the court whenever relied upon.
Teams like the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Dallas Mavericks will likely try to make a move for Durant before he hits free agency in 2026. Lots of teams are planning on having cap space that year, so we might see a 37-year-old Durant have a bidding war on his services.
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