Kevin Durant played his first game against the Suns on Monday since being traded to the Rockets over the summer and ended up scoring the game winner. Afterwards, he basked in the moment, revealed how grateful he was to be in Houston, and admitted that he was “kicked out” of the organization.
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In reaction to the win, Durant’s former teammate Kendrick Perkins said he was impressed with the effort. He pointed out that KD likely felt disrespected by the Suns and by the way they traded him, which may have given Durant that extra fire.
Kevin Durant post game on hitting a game winner over Phoenix:
“A place I didn’t want to leave and my first time being, I don’t want to sound to dramatic but I will, kicked out of a place.
It felt like I been scapegoated for the issues we had as a team last year, so yeah it… pic.twitter.com/Pi5xkz74ID
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) January 6, 2026
“I feel like KD felt disrespected in Phoenix,” Perkins said on Road Trippin’. “Like, we’re talking about an all-time great. We’re talking about, in my eyes, the greatest scorer to ever touch the damn basketball.”
Durant is eighth on the NBA all-time scoring list. He has the second-highest points scored of any active player. There’s no question that he’s going to go down as one of the best to ever play. And one can certainly make the argument that he’s the best scorers in the game’s history.
Perkins later pointed out that Durant still averaged solid numbers on the Suns amid dysfunction. That’s why when he was traded, he felt offended. It made a ton of sense.
Perkins’ co-host, Richard Jefferson, also pointed out that the trade was the first time that a team was ever looking to get rid of Durant willingly.
“Brooklyn didn’t want to trade him. OKC and Golden State didn’t want to trade him. That was the first time they were like, ‘Hey, we’re going to look and check the market,’” Jefferson noted.
This must have upset Durant. He’s a player who’s always been in total control of where he plays ever since being in OKC. To be sent packing was probably a wake-up call. And he answered that call against his former team by handing them the L.
At the end of the day, Perkins thinks that Durant needs to take some responsibility for what happened in Phoenix. But at the same time, he knows it must’ve felt good to get revenge.
“KD has gotta take some ownership in that as well. As a Finals MVP, people look at you to be a leader. But I get it. The get-back is always good,” Perkins stated.
Amid his 18th season, it is unclear when Durant will retire, but one thing is certain: he still knows how to hold a grudge. He did not just show it against the Suns on the court, he spoke about it after the game as well. That reaction suggests he felt disrespected by the trade, and it makes Kendrick Perkins’ assessment likely correct.
