“Nature of the Game”: Kevin Durant on His Unexpected Phoenix Breakup, Reason for Picking Rockets

Kevin Durant has played for his fair share of NBA teams during his 19-year career, but he has only been traded once. The circumstances surrounding his departures have always felt larger than life, and his final walk out of the Phoenix Suns facility was no different.

Durant joined the Suns in 2023, and from the start, it appeared to be an unhappy marriage. He never really fit into any system, and although his scoring numbers didn’t dip, the Suns struggled to perform as a unit, even missing out on the 2025 playoffs entirely.

That said, Durant did not expect to part ways with The Valley as quickly as he did. Shortly after the end of the 2024–25 season, he learned that the Suns were ready to ship him off, which marked what was truly a surprising chapter in his illustrious career.

One day, you’re a star player for a contending team. Next, you’re being shopped by said team because they’re rebuilding. It happens fast for some teams in the league. For the Suns, they knew that one playoff series win with Durant over three seasons simply wasn’t cutting it. They needed to make a change. 

Durant recently talked about this phenomenon of going from star to trade bait in a matter of one season. “I wasn’t expecting to leave Phoenix that quickly, but that’s just the nature of the game,” the new Rockets man stated on media day.

Durant then explained why he chose the Houston Rockets as his preferred destination. “So I quickly just thought about who I was comfortable with, coaching staff would just let me be me and understand what I bring to the table,” he shared.

It was a solid process that the future Hall of Famer followed. Now he’s set to be the focal point of a contender in the Western Conference. All in all, things have worked out exactly the way he wanted them to.

Durant also shared that Head Coach Ime Udoka played a big role in his choosing the Rockets.

“Ime has always been one of those guys that understood what I brought to the table, my mentality and my approach to the game. He always respected that and gave me my space to be me.”

Udoka has been in charge of the Rockets’ technical area since 2023. Before that, he spent nine seasons as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets. Plus, he has already made an NBA Finals appearance with the Boston Celtics and has played a key role in completely turning around the Rockets.

With this in mind, it makes sense that Durant thought of Udoka before requesting where he wanted to be traded to. Only a veteran like him would know how important coaching can be for contenders in the NBA. It’ll be interesting to see if he made the right decision.