The Kevin Durant experiment with the Phoenix Suns was an utter disappointment. The pairing only has one playoff series win to show for in two and a half seasons. To make matters worse, the Suns didn’t even earn a Play-In appearance this past season. The writing is on the wall that Durant will have a new home ahead of the 2025-26 season.
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Following Phoenix’s decision to shop Durant at the 2024 trade deadline behind his back, the two haven’t been able to mend their relationship. The Suns have practically accepted their fate and are attempting to move on from Durant.
ESPN insider Shams Charania revealed that Durant has given the Suns a list of preferred destinations. Those teams are the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Miami Heat. Phoenix’s willingness to comply with KD’s request has left analyst Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo baffled.
“Did he win a championship in Phoenix that I missed? They were swept by Minnesota and this year didn’t even get into the postseason,” Russo said on ESPN’s First Take.
Has Durant performed individually during his tenure with the Suns? Most definitely. One can’t dispute the two-time champion’s skillset. However, that doesn’t necessarily translate to team success. As a result, Russo sends a harsh message to Durant and his followers.
“They owe Durant absolutely zero!” Russo proclaimed.
Some players earn the right to provide a team with a list of desired destinations. Although Damian Lillard didn’t win a championship with the Portland Trail Blazers, he made the team relevant. That would be a justifiable instance of a team accommodating a player’s request.
Russo’s co-hosts didn’t necessarily share the same sentiment as him. Stephen A. Smith doesn’t believe that if the Suns do right by Durant that it will be a conflict of interest.
“What I’m saying is, of course, it has to work for you too, but there’s nothing wrong with looking out for him in the process,” Smith said.
In Durant’s defense, it wasn’t like he was the source of drama and controversy during his tenure with the Suns. He did his job and performed at a high level whenever he was on the court. The problems stemmed from key roster decisions made by the front office.
Monica McNutt considers this when sharing her opinion on a potential Durant deal. “The record is 33-29 when he played; it was abysmal when he did not play. It’s not as if he were in the organization and was problematic,” McNutt said.
Durant did everything in his power to push the Suns to an NBA championship. Their team just wasn’t good enough. Sometimes there’s nothing more a superstar can do. The Suns recognize Durant’s efforts, which is why they will try to do right by him.
However, they won’t bend their back to do so. Durant doesn’t hold the same value in the Suns franchise as Devin Booker. Therefore, the front office will most likely make the best deal for the team, even if that means going against KD’s wishes.
