Bad Boy Pistons Legend Isiah Thomas Shows Kevin Durant Some Love, Sides With Business Partner’s Take on His Time With Suns

Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns have been on the receiving end of some serious stick since their first-round exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The NBA superstar, who has been unable to achieve any post-season success since he departed from the Golden State Warriors in 2019, has had to hear very harsh criticism from the media. This has led to his business partner – Rich Kleiman, jumping to his defense on Instagram, which a certain Detroit Pistons legend was shockingly on board with.

Rich Kleiman teamed up with Durant as his agent and later became business partners launching 35V( Thirty-Five Ventures), an investment company that started the media network – Boardroom.

After a disappointing season, Kleiman took to the social media platform – Instagram, to share the NBA superstar’s accolades from his 17th season in the league. Isiah Thomas then reshared the post in his Instagram story as a sign of agreement. Here is the post:

Durant may not have achieved his goal in terms of post-season success but he had a rather satisfying individual season as a 35-year-old in the league.

Based on the stats presented by his business partner, the NBA superstar’s seventeenth season was nothing short of spectacular. Comparing his stats with the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, Kleiman emphasized the feat Durant achieved as a veteran. Something only the greatest players in the history of the game have been able to accomplish.

Is Kevin Durant unhappy with the Phoenix Suns?

Following a first-round sweep in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, a Phoenix Suns team comprised of three stars – Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant, failed to meet the expectations that they set for themselves.

This has led to speculation regarding Durant’s relationship with the Phoenix Suns. According to ‘The Athletic’, the NBA superstar was frustrated with his role in the team and felt the offense was not structured to bring the best out of him. The report read,

“Meanwhile, Durant, among the best scorers in NBA history, was not always happy with how he was used. Sources briefed on the matter told ‘The Athletic’ that Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense alongside Booker and Beal this season.

Those sources said Durant had persistent issues with the offense, feeling that he was being relegated to the corner far too often and not having the proper designs to play to his strengths as the offense was built around pick-and-rolls. At the same time, some teammates and people close to the organization believed Durant needed to voice his concerns more adamantly and directly with Vogel and his coaching staff.”

However, the above remains speculations for now, as the two-time NBA champion has been rather quiet on the matter and has not publicly voiced his concerns to the media. The player focused on his upcoming responsibility as a member of the 2024 Paris Olympics team and talked about preparing for the same.

He will be teaming up with LeBron James and Stephen Curry, who like Durant, have been eliminated from the post-season.